Mine?"
by Jedi Catcey Joranda
Summary: QG, OW, and two original characters make a few discoveries. Pre-TPM by about 6 years.


Mine

**Title:** Mine?  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Spoilers:** Possible TPM, "Choices"

**Normal disclaimer:** These boys aren't mine. :( Just borrowing them for fun, not profit. They and any other SW characters are Georgie's property, and a big thank you to Mr. Lucas for creating them and letting us all enjoy them.

If you would like to post this elsewhere, please ask my permission first.

**Story note:** This doesn't follow the JA books, but for a bit of background I suggest you read "Choices" written by me Master C and Padawan T, my apprentice. I do heavily lean on facts we established there.

**Thanks:** To Tara, for putting up with me and this story, Tavaris for the confidence boost, and Donna for the suggestions and help. You were all great, if not for you this would not be posted. So if you hate it blame them. ;)

Mine? 

By: [Master C][1]

Obi-Wan Kenobi grunted in frustration. After all, it wasn't everyday the nineteen-year-old Jedi Apprentice was locked in a room with either his worst enemy or his best friend, depending on his mood. Right now the black-haired, violet-eyed, beauty was somewhere in between the two options and was rapidly approaching enemy status. Obi-Wan's Master, Qui-Gon Jinn and his opponents Master, Lee-Stra Enoch, had locked the pair in a gym for a mock duel.

"You need the practice, Padawan," Jinn had said after Obi-Wan had looked at him in despair. He hated dueling girls. If he won, even the most stoic of them had a tendency to cry. If the girl won, he never heard the end of it from his friends. A tie was no better. Besides, this girl in particular drove him crazy. She was good. She was strong in the Force and was a very capable swordsman. But it wasn't just her ability to fight him tooth and nail that really irked him it was everything about her. She was beautiful, fierce in a fight, beautiful, loyal in friendship, beautiful, and they almost always disagreed when it came to their beliefs in the Force. They argued about it on a daily basis; or, they would if they were together every day. She was far more in tune with Qui-Gon's use of the Force and his penchant for taking sidebars along the way during a mission. In the past, he had often wondered if she should be Jinn's apprentice instead of him because of it. However, now that he was older, he knew that he and Qui-Gon Jinn had been meant to be together. It was, after all, Jinn who had brought him to the Temple in the first place. They had bonded immediately and Qui-Gon had always been there for Obi-Wan, even before choosing him as his Padawan Learner.

Obi-Wan brought his blue blade up just in time to deflect a "killing blow" to his neck. He'd had just about enough of this girl. He spun and swiped up and out at her, shaving a minute amount off the bottom of her black Padawan braid.

"Nerf herder!" Tri-Nah Wynne shouted at her opponent, convinced that he had done it on 

purpose. With the fierceness that he had just been thinking about, Tri-Nah came at him.

This only served to amuse him. For some unfathomable reason, when Tri-Nah Wynne was mad, Obi-Wan could not help but be amused. This, of course, caused her to be even angrier. Today, however, it would not work. She refused to let him get to her. She slowed her attack, hoping that her sudden change of mood would throw him off. Tri-Nah spun her sixteen-year-old body around a pillar and took a swipe at Obi-Wan's feet. With her lightsaber in one hand, and the other pulling herself the rest of the way around the pillar, she moved away from any retaliation Obi-Wan might direct at her.

It worked. Her nearly black blade grazed the top of Kenobi's shiny new boots, leaving a small but noticeable scratch in the brown leather. It was nothing that could not be easily repaired, but it was an annoyance nonetheless.

"You, stupid girl!" Obi-Wan shouted angrily, momentarily forgetting his Jedi calm. "I just got these!"

Tri-Nah stood with her back to the pillar, laughter rippling through her. As much as it amused Obi-Wan to make Tri-Nah angry, it also amused her to break the cocky young man's nearly impenetrable calm.

"You did that on purpose," Obi-Wan accused. Both blades had been shut down and the sound of her laughter was grating on Obi-Wan's last nerve. "I spent good credits on these and now look what you did. You stupid..."

"That will be enough, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon's calm voice came from the doorway.

"But..." Obi-Wan stopped before saying more. He knew the look that Qui-Gon was throwing his way. That look meant, "Not another word, Padawan."

Tri-Nah stood up straighter at the sound of Jinn's voice and slowly turned to face both him and her Master. She caught Qui-Gon's blue gaze and saw the slightest glint of humor there. She fought down a smile and bowed to both Jedi.

Obi-Wan realized that he had failed to greet the pair properly and followed with a bow of his own, grumbling to himself all the while that Tri-Nah had beat him to it.

Jedi Knight Lee-Stra Enoch nodded her head at both teens and wrinkled her nose at the smell of burnt hair that wafted her way. She strode across the smooth floor and lifted the thin braid. Dropping it, without comment, she said, "Tri-Nah, shower and change. Our transport leaves in an hour." Lee-Stra then turned and locked eyes with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan could have sworn he saw the faintest bit of mirth in her brown eyes.

"You should take Lee-Stra's advice as well, Padawan. I'll meet you in the hall," Qui-Gon added turning away from his student before he laughed outright. He and Enoch had watched the duel on a viewscreen and had seen everything that had gone on in the room. They had been both impressed and amused, as they always were, when their two apprentices ended up dueling or working together. Obi-Wan and Tri-Nah never ceased to amaze them. Their emotions shifted like the sands of Tatooine, but through it all, they worked well together, overcoming whatever obstacle had been placed before them. Of course, they worked best when in agreement, but that was as rare as finding leftovers at a Hutt's feast.

How they got things done with all the bickering was beyond everyone around them. It was as if they thrived on it. Over the year's the teens' instructors had purposely paired them up on a number of occasions, mostly for their own amusement. If the pair had known that everyone got so much enjoyment out of their skewed relationship, they probably would have done something about it. However, they were far too engrossed in outdoing each other to notice what anyone had to say about their battle.

Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra discussed the issue for what seemed to be the millionth time as they waited for their charges.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan entered the boys' shower area. He could hear the water running on the other side of the wall that separated the girls' shower area from the boys. He could also hear Tri-Nah's sweet voice as she hummed to herself. His blue eyes rolled up toward the ceiling, as if asking for strength from some higher power, as he stepped into the steaming water.

How her voice could sooth him after being so angry at her just minutes earlier was something he could not comprehend. If she wasn't under his skin in one way, then she was under it in another. Obi-Wan leaned forward and placed his warm forehead on the cool tile. Tri-Nah's humming had turned into full-blown singing, and his heart began to beat a little faster. He turned away from the wall and concentrated on blocking out the sound. Mildly relieved that she would be off planet soon, he pushed thoughts of her out of his mind as he finished washing up.

After having showered and dressed, both Jedi students stepped from their respective shower areas at the same time.

Tri-Nah grunted as she looked at Obi-Wan. He was wearing almost identical tunic and pants to her own. She glared at him as she brushed past as if he had worn the same thing as she on purpose. It never once occurred to the girl that most of her other fellow students would be dressed exactly the same also. She was irritated with Obi-Wan and she wanted to stay that way. If she didn't other more disturbing thoughts might enter her mind, like how utterly handsome he was, standing there so calmly. She exited the room, determined to make her appearance first. It was almost as if she wanted to make sure the general public would see that she had dressed first and that he had copied, not the other way around. Tri-Nah knew this was irrational, but it kept her mind occupied and off of the dimple in his chin that had deepened as he frowned at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Lee-Stra and Tri-Nah made their way to the shuttle bay, they reminisced about the assignment that had caused them to receive a rest from regular duties in the Temple. It had been a laborious peace negotiation on Arska minor, and it had nearly turned into war on three separate occasions. It had taken five times as long as it should have as the hot-blooded Arskans tried to come to an agreement.

During the negotiations, Lee-Stra had been ready to pull her black hair out by its roots, but now that it was over, she could laugh about her battle of wits with the Arskan leaders. One Arskan had gone so far as to proposition that she and Tri-Nah stay and breed Jedi warrior Arskans.

Tri-Nah was still not over that suggestion. The Arskan men she had been forced to sit near during the assignment repulsed her sixteen-year-old mind. She could not imagine being ones mate. The reminder of it made her shiver and she fervently hoped that Obi-Wan had not gotten wind of what had happened on Arska Minor. If he had, she would never live it down.

Lee-Stra's smile quickly faded as they stepped out onto the landing pad. Standing on the platform in front of the transport that the women were to take, was Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

"What are you doing here?" Lee-Stra asked as she and Tri-Nah stepped up to the pair of Jedi.

"There has been a change of plans," Qui-Gon answered apologetically. "The Council asked that I be the one to tell you."

Tri-Nah groaned to herself. There would be no R and R for them, yet again. Qui-Gon did not even need to say the words.

Obi-Wan looked over at Tri-Nah. With a shock, he realized that he was actually feeling sorry for her. He knew what she was feeling all too well, as he and Qui-Gon had also had many vacations cut short by the Council.

"What now?" Lee-Stra asked, stamping down her disappointment.

"There is a problem on Inlian," Qui-Gon said, knowing that Lee-Stra would prefer the mission facts to his sympathies. "The hill dwellers are at war again. The valley dwellers requested Jedi intervention. It will take two teams, and we are the only ones available at the moment." Qui-Gon explained evenly.

The Inlians were a close knit people. They had to be. The valley and mountains were the only habitable part of the entire planet because most of the rest of the planet was covered with a vast ocean. The people all depended on each other, and when the hill dwellers were fighting, it caused a terrible rift in trade. People were going hungry during the hardest time of the year. The ocean, for the most part, was frozen, and this kept the people from the fish that fed them in the summer. The valley dwellers depended on the food grown in the mountains during the winter months and with the hill dwellers at war, there was no way for the food to be harvested, much less brought down the mountainside. They were getting desperate and had called on the Jedi to remedy the situation.

Lee-Stra's brown eyes turned toward her student with an unspoken apology.

Tri-Nah returned the gaze with understanding. It wasn't the first time and more than likely it wouldn't be the last time the Council did this to them. She led the way up the ramp and into the ship that would now take them to Inlian. Suddenly, Tri-Nah stopped dead in the middle of the common area of the ship. A disturbing thought had just crossed her mind. It took two days to travel from Coruscant to Inlian, and that meant only one thing: two days on a small transport with Obi-Wan Kenobi. It both thrilled her and made her want to run back down the ramp at the same time.

Obi-Wan brushed past her, and without one word of discussion on the matter, placed his gear in the larger of the two living compartments of the ship.

_*He's already at it,*_ Tri-Nah thought to herself, the thrill she felt earlier quickly turning to irritation. _*He's taking the larger room without even asking anyone. He has absolutely no manners!*_ When Obi-Wan came back out of the room, she glared at him, causing her violet eyes to darken to a royal purple. It really wasn't the size of the room that bothered her. As a matter of fact, if someone were to ask her what the problem was she would not have been able to answer.

Obi-Wan noticed the glare and wondered, as usual, what he had done now. He really had not thought about the size of the room when he had picked it. He had just entered the first one. He turned toward the cockpit, shrugging it off as residual anger from the duel earlier. _*She must still be upset about her braid. Good night! It's just hair!*_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Qui-Gon was already prepping the ship for take-off when Obi-Wan entered the cockpit , closing the door behind him. Qui-Gon knew something was bothering the young man, but wisely kept his mouth shut, preferring to let Obi-Wan voice the problem in his own time.

After a moment, Obi-Wan glanced over at his Master then asked, "Is it me, or are all girls like her?"

Qui-Gon pushed aside his desire to laugh aloud and asked, "Her who?" as if he did not already know. They had had this discussion many times over the years. He could not fathom why Obi-Wan insisted on continuing to try to figure Tri-Nah Wynne out. It only kept the rivalry between them burning. _*Maybe that was it,*_ Qui-Gon mused. _*Maybe Obi-Wan liked the way things were. This thinly veiled animosity kept things interesting, and kept each of them coming back for more. They really do thrive on it.*_

What Qui-Gon did not realize, and what neither Tri-Nah nor Obi-Wan would ever admit to, was that if either of them, even for a second, dropped the hostility act, it would kill their friendship. It would take them into a realm neither were ready for.

"Never mind," Obi-Wan answered looking over at the console before him. "The port stabilizer is not retracting," he stated, changing the subject.

Qui-Gon did not hide the smile that crept over his face.. His apprentice's relationship with the girl was far too much like his own past relationship with Lee-Stra Enoch. Only his and Lee-Stra's rivalry had started a bit later in life, had hit a really bad patch and had now turned into a deep and abiding friendship filled with mutual respect. There was, however, a love between them that neither had forgotten and that both tried to hide. It was sometimes difficult, watching history replay itself in their Padawans' lives. "I see that. It won't affect take-off, but will need to be fixed before we can go into hyperdrive." Qui-Gon looked over at a panel in the wall to his left and away from Obi-Wan. "You and Tri-Nah can work on it as soon as we are out of the atmosphere," he said calmly hoping that the boy would not sense the note of amusement he was fighting as he spoke.

Tri-Nah had picked that very moment to enter the cockpit and asked, "Work on what, Master Qui-Gon?" as she eased into the chair behind the Jedi Master.

"Stabilizer malfunction," Qui-Gon replied pointing at the display in front of Obi-Wan.

Tri-Nah rose and leaned over Obi-Wan's shoulder to look at the problem.

Their faces were close, too close. Obi-Wan turned just enough to look at her. His breath caught in his throat as he realized just how close their faces were.

Tri-Nah suddenly realized that she was being looked at and turned to meet the pale blue gaze. "I can do it...alone," she said coldly, belatedly recognizing how intimate their position was.

Before Obi-Wan could protest, Qui-Gon spoke up, a note of scolding in his voice. "It's a two person job and you know it Padawan Wynne."

Obi-Wan's blue eyes sparkled, not because he was forced to work in close quarters with Tri-Nah, but because she had been told that she couldn't do it alone. However, he knew that if anyone could have done it alone, it would have been Tri-Nah Wynne. She had the ability to repair just about anything mechanical.

Tri-Nah's nose wrinkled in disgust, but she dared not contradict Qui-Gon. "Yes, Master," she answered quietly, as she returned to her seat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took the teens twice as long as it should have to fix the stabilizer, delaying the already long trip by half a day. They had fought over every little thing during the repair, making Qui-Gon question his decision to force the two of them to do the job together.

Lee-Stra shrugged at her friend, "Chalk it up to a learning experience. They need to learn to work together," she said with a smile, wincing as her Padawan's voice came from the engine room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ow! I told you not to hook that back up yet!" Tri-Nah yelled when an arc of energy caught her across the hand, causing her to drop the tool she held.

"If you'd work a bit faster it wouldn't matter," Obi-Wan shot back.

"Fine, just try doing it without me!" Tri-Nah rose from the stabilizer workstation and started to leave.

"Quitter," Obi-Wan hissed, barely above a whisper.

Tri-Nah spun on her heel, "I heard that Obi-Wan Kenobi!" She hated being called a quitter by anyone, but most especially by Kenobi.

Obi-Wan knew it too, and he also knew that it was the only way to get her to come back and help, unless he apologized. This he would not do. Not now. Maybe not ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both adult Jedi knew the job would soon be finished as they looked at each other in amusement.

"They never apologize to each other, do they?" Lee-Stra asked around a laugh.

"No, but neither did we," Qui-Gon spoke after taking a sip of his tea.

Lee-Stra stood from her chair in the common area of the ship and said, "Well, then allow me to be the first to do so, Master Jedi. I most humbly apologize for all the past wrong that I placed on your noble masculine pride," she bowed in an exaggerated fashion.

Qui-Gon laughed and waved at her in dismissal. "All is forgiven, my Jedi friend, and please I must ask of you the same," he replied in an overly pleading tone. Just to outdo Lee-Stra's exaggerated apology, he got down on his knees in front of her and grabbed her hand. "Please, please, forgive this inferior reprobate's transgressions."

Unfortunately for Qui-Gon, both teens had stepped out of the engine room at this moment, eyes wide. Rarely did anyone ever see this side of the Jedi Master.

Lee-Stra erupted in laughter at the look on Tri-Nah's and Obi-Wan's faces. She knew Qui-Gon would hate getting caught in such an uncharacteristic moment.

Qui-Gon looked up at her and followed her pointing finger. His face heated instantly, but, he was not beyond finding the humor in the situation, and soon joined his comrade in laughter.

Obi-Wan and Tri-Nah looked at each other and shrugged. They couldn't help grinning, both feeling that it was good to see their all-too-serious Masters laughing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That evening, Tri-Nah readied for bed, weary from the seemingly endless hours of work put in on the stabilizer. As she lay on the bed in her small cabin, she ran back through the afternoon spent so near Obi-Wan. At one point, he had to get so close that she could feel his breath on her neck. The memory of the warmth sent a shiver through her body.

"Are you cold?" Lee-Stra asked, full of concern.

"No, Master, I'm fine." Tri-Nah turned away from the woman's gaze and closed her eyes, shoving Obi-Wan from her mind. It was impossible. Between the duel that morning and the repair work that evening, he had filled her day and was now filling her mind as she tried to sleep. He would also fill the next two days with his presence. _*Blasted assignment.*_ she cursed silently to herself. Being cooped up on a ship with him meant only one thing: shared training. Shared training, in turn, meant more mock duels. "Oh, please, no," she groaned softly.

"No, what?" Lee-Stra asked.

Tri-Nah had not meant for the words to be spoken aloud. "Ummm, no more, ummm..." Tri-Nah searched her mind for something to say that wouldn't be a lie, but also not the truth. She was saved by a ping at the door to their cabin.

Lee-Stra moved to answer it and Tri-Nah willed herself to sleep in order to avoid answering the question.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First thing after breakfast the following day, Qui-Gon suggested the two students retire to the empty cargo hold and meditate.

Obi-Wan glanced at Tri-Nah before obeying. He had tried assessing her mood when she and Enoch had come out of their cabin for breakfast. She had avoided his gaze then, and was doing so again now. She was also treating him with as much neutrality as she could. He could live with that. Neutral was much better than open hatred. Although, that was really overstating even her worst feelings toward him.

Tri-Nah tried to not think about what the next days would hold as she made her way toward the hold. She knew that this meditation session would lead to some other joint venture: a mock duel, a joining in the Force to learn more about it and each other, levitation, or even a workout of some kind. She knew she would prefer a duel to the joining. One never knew what the Force might reveal when two minds were intertwined. Once, several months ago, she had seen something during one of those joinings that had frightened her. She had never found out if Obi-Wan had seen the same thing.

The vision had been of the two of them standing very close with a tiny baby between them. It could have meant anything and nothing at the same time. A look into the future, a look at a past event with their faces being replaced with the real people, or it could have been something completely different that needed to be assessed to find out its true meaning. If it were the latter, it would never be found, because Tri-Nah refused to bring it up again.

Obi-Wan and Tri-Nah, each retreated to opposite walls of the cargo hold. Tri-Nah resisted the urge to sit with her back to him. She almost welcomed the meditation because she wanted to try to come up with some explanation for this apprehensive attitude she had developed toward Obi-Wan Kenobi. She had no idea when it had started or why it was there. Although adversarial in nature, they had always been friends. She did not understand her sudden need for space.

Tri-Nah risked a glance across the room.

Obi-Wan, too, had felt the need to place his back to her, but did not. Instead he sat with his left side toward her, relaxing as he let the Force wash over him, ridding him of his anxieties. He wanted an explanation of his own about his oscillating feelings regarding Tri-Nah, and there was no sense in putting it off. His handsome features settled, into a peaceful state.

Tri-Nah watched as Obi-Wan's face went from a frown to peace in a matter of seconds. _*He is so nice looking,*_ she thought. Abruptly, she ripped her gaze from him and rebuked herself. _*That line of thinking will get you absolutely nowhere, Tri-Nah Wynne.*_

Composing herself, Tri-Nah too sank into the Force, reaching out to the room, the inner workings of the ship, her Master, Qui-Gon Jinn... The two Jedi were chatting in the cockpit, laughing about something... Before she could determine what might be making the Jedi laugh, she removed herself from their presence. It would have been deemed snooping if she had stayed any longer. She purposely avoided Obi-Wan and stretched out to the space that was whizzing by outside.

Tri-Nah's natural lean toward the Living side of the Force made it easy for her to sense the living beings that inhabited the emptiness of space. She could feel the tiniest of creatures - there were several attached to the outer bulkhead of the ship - all the way up to the inhabitants of any planet they passed along the way. Her ability was almost empathic in nature. She could sense another's feelings far quicker than other Jedi and at times, even before the person was aware of them. It had forced her to learn to ignore much of what went on around her at a very young age, to the point that unless she was trying, she could block out those around her.

The first person she had learned to block out had been Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had hurt her far more than anyone else, which was probably why she often reacted the way she did around him. She knew his true feelings for her. She'd sensed disgust, dislike, and annoyance for her so often during their childhood that it had stayed in her mind, convincing her that it was the way he still felt. She had gotten so good at ignoring his thoughts that it took little effort now, which, was more than likely a good thing, considering how her own feelings toward him had changed over the years. The last thing she wanted to know was that he still disliked her and saw her as an annoying child.

After an hour and a half, Qui-Gon entered the cargo hold. He stood near the door, waiting for them to notice his presence.

Tri-Nah sensed him first and pulled herself back from the vastness of space. She stood, bowed and glanced over at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was so in tune with his Master that he had known when the man had started on his way to the cargo hold. However he wanted to put off whatever was about to come their way, so he delayed, responding. As soon as he sensed that Qui-Gon was about to say something to him, he opened his eyes with a smile.

Qui-Gon cocked his head at his pupil and raised an eyebrow. He knew exactly what Obi-Wan had been up to. "You two have not been working well together lately, and it has been even worse than usual. Up until now, Lee-Stra and I have let it pass, hoping you would work out your differences. However, after yesterday's disaster with the stabilizer, we realize that you may need some help in that area. You need to work around and through this hostility between you, before we reach Inlian."

Obi-Wan could have kicked himself. He should have known. He had pushed his Master just a bit too far this time.

//Not so, Padawan.// Jinn said to him through the Force. He indicated that they should get started and left the room.

Tri-Nah swallowed and looked across the room. _*Great.*_ She took a few steps to the center of the room and sat down cross-legged. Obi-Wan did the same.

Their knees were touching as they looked into each other's eyes. //We can do this.// Obi-Wan stated calmly through the Force.

Tri-Nah dropped her gaze to her hands, which rested in her lap. This was far more unnerving than the last time they had done this. _*What is the matter with me?*_

Obi-Wan reached up with his right hand and with one finger, raised, Tri-Nah's chin.

His touch did not help. Tri-Nah swallowed again and willed herself to stare into his eyes. After several minutes, each one found a sense of calm and reached out to the other. Tri-Nah was forced to drop her normal guard around him.

Random bits of information, thoughts, and feelings, floated between the two young minds. Each ignored the initial contact with the other until they had sorted through and around their own turbulent feelings. After getting a clear, readable line into the other's mind, they each relaxed and let the Force flow between them.

Suddenly, Tri-Nah ripped her mind from Obi-Wan's, scrambling away from him on her hands and backside.

The same vision that she had seen in their earlier joining had passed through her mind, only this time it seemed as if Obi-Wan had been about to kiss her.

Tri-Nah was breathing hard as she stared at him. Her violet eyes were wild with the shock of the vision's return. 

The mental chaos flowing from Tri-Nah's mind to Lee-Stra's drew her to the cargo hold. Qui-Gon followed, having sensed something akin to alarm from Obi-Wan.

Tri-Nah stood and started for the door. She had to get out of the room and away from Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"What happened?" Lee-Stra asked, putting a hand up to stop her student from getting past her.

"I..." Tri-Nah started. "I misinterpreted something. It's nothing, really. We're okay, right Obi-Wan?" She looked pleadingly at the young man. She hated lying, especially since one or the other of the adults would more than likely know. She hoped that there was enough truth in her statement that it would not matter. The whole thing could turn out to be just a misinterpretation.

Qui-Gon was looking at Obi-Wan with curiosity. The boy nodded in agreement. He had seen the same vision, both times, and he did not want to talk about it either. "We're sorry if we alarmed you. Like Tri-Nah said, it's nothing," Obi-Wan stated reassuringly. He smiled at his Master with his now famous smile that usually soothed away any problem.

The Jedi Master looked from one youth to the other. Tri-Nah had somehow managed to place a smile on her face, too. Between Tri-Nah's smile, and his apprentice's endearing grin, he could not help but smile back. "If you are sure. I hope this exercise has managed to help the two of you."

"Yes, Master," both teens said at the same time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day a dreaded duel was ordered. The Jedi were just over twenty-seven hours from Inlian and Lee-Stra had felt the physical workout would do them both some good.

Tri-Nah was in no mood to duel or argue, so she readily agreed to the rules Obi-Wan had laid down. This surprised him, but he too was in no mood to argue.

The duel started off innocently enough, but about ten minutes into it, Tri-Nah picked up on a stray thought from Obi-Wan. He had thought that beating her today would be easy and had wished that it were always this easy. She was being passive and he liked it...

"Passive!" she shouted as she parried a blow to her right. _*Preoccupied maybe, but not passive,*_ she thought indignantly. The thought ignited a fire deep inside her. "I am not passive." She spun and took a swipe at his knees.

He easily blocked it, and in the process, knocked her lightsaber free from her grip and across the room. Its skid across the floor echoed through the hold with a metallic clang.

Tri-Nah backed away. She was going to lose. Unless... Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a couple of cargo containers and nudged one of them with the Force, trying to ascertain its weight.

Obi-Wan was coming at her, swinging his blue blade tauntingly. He had her and he was going to enjoy the victory.

The container slid from its spot, and towards Obi-Wan's feet. He was so intent on watching her that he missed its movement until it was too late. He started to jump over it, trying to avoid tripping. Tri-Nah countered his move by popping open the container's lid with the Force. The toe of Obi-Wan's boot caught on the open lid, and he stumbled. Frantically, he tried to catch himself. He did not succeed and found himself heading straight for Tri-Nah.

The next thing he heard was Tri-Nah's scream of pain. She had tried to avoid Obi-Wan's flailing body, but had not succeeded. His lightsaber came crashing down on her shoulder, burning through both tunic and skin. Tri-Nah tried to pull away from the pain, but the movement only caused the blade to run from the back of her shoulder to the front, nearly the entire length of the glowing weapon. Obi-Wan threw his lightsaber to the floor and went toward Tri-Nah, who was now in a heap on the floor, clutching her shoulder.

She shrank away from him. "Don't touch me. I'm okay, just don't touch me."

Lee-Stra raced into the cargo hold. She had felt the pain coming from her apprentice and scooped the girl up into her arms.

Qui-Gon had heard the scream and was at Tri-Nah's side almost as quickly as Lee-Stra.

"Get him away from me," Tri-Nah said harshly, glaring at Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan away and calmly said, "She's okay. Go take a shower. We'll discuss this later." After noting Obi-Wan's hesitation he added firmly, "Go." 

With a last look at Tri-Nah, Obi-Wan obeyed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After stripping down to her sleeveless undershirt, Tri-Nah tried to assess the damage. All of her concentration was turned toward keeping the pain at bay. She jumped at the sound of Qui-Gon's voice.

"Here, let me help." Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra had agreed that he would tend to the injury. Lee-Stra had been afraid that her worry might cause more pain than help. She had retreated to her cabin to meditate her anxiety away.

She followed the Jedi Master over to a chair in the common area, knowing that she could not properly tend to the wound by herself. She allowed him to clean it and apply a layer of bacta gel.

"It's a good thing you had the sabers turned down," Qui-Gon said softly.

Tri-Nah looked up into the blue eyes, a bit bewildered. He nodded his greying head toward her shoulder. She looked down at it and realized that if the weapon had been on even medium power, she would have lost her arm. She winced.

"What happened?" he asked coolly.

"It was an accident," Tri-Nah quickly replied defending Obi-Wan. She did not want Qui-Gon thinking that his student had done this in anger, especially with the way the two of them had been behaving recently. Her tone indicated that she was not willing to discuss it further.

"Go lay down until Obi-Wan is done in the shower. You'll have to put more gel on when you get out," Qui-Gon said evenly. Although, he kept it well hidden, he couldn't help blaming himself over this appalling incident. He had not felt that Lee-Stra had been right in forcing them to duel, but had given in. If he had gone with his first instinct, this would not have happened.

"Yes, Master," Tri-Nah answered. She was glad to obey. Tired and in pain, all she wanted was to be asleep, not to have to explain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah entered the cabin to find her Master sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor. 

Lee-Stra's brown eyes popped open as soon as the girl entered. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern clouding the usually strong voice.

"Yes, Master," Tri-Nah answered.

Lee-Stra carefully wrapped her arms around the teen. "I'm sorry this happened. I shouldn't have..."

"No, Master, don't blame yourself. I got angry. 'One should never use aggression in a fight,'" she intoned, repeating an often-quoted saying. She tried a smile and said, "I just want to lay down for a while."

"Of course." Lee-Stra drew away with a smile and a touch to the girl's cheek. She admired her student's ability to see her own fault and still be able to use humor. "Do you need some help?"

Tri-Nah shook her head and Lee-Stra left, giving her some privacy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah awoke, the burning pain overwhelming her as she slept. She looked over to the other bed and saw that Lee-Stra had retired.

After gathering her toiletries, a clean pair of pants, undergarments and undershirt she made her way to the shower. Nothing she did kept her left shoulder from hurting. Either the water hit it or she had to raise her arm to wash her hair. She hurried as much as she could and by the time she was dry and dressed she could not hold back the tears that had been threatening for hours.

Tri-Nah sat on the floor with a sani-cloth over the burn and let the tears flow. When they had ebbed, she washed her face and padded out into the common area, barefoot. She retrieved the bacta gel tube from the table where Qui-Gon had left it and not wanting to wake Lee-Stra, went out in search of Qui-Gon

She opened the door to the cockpit, expecting to find the Jedi Master minding the ship. Instead, she found a brooding Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Where's Qui-Gon?" she asked quickly.

"In bed," Obi-Wan replied without looking at her.

Forgetting for the moment about the pain, she slumped into the co-pilot's chair, staring out into space. Something needed to be said, but she had no idea where to start.

Obi-Wan had noticed Tri-Nah's hand on her shoulder and the tube of gel she carried in her other. Without thinking, he opened his mouth to offer to help, but Tri-Nah spoke before he could. "I'm sorry, I behaved badly in there. I reacted in anger..."

"*You're sorry?* *I'm* the one who hurt you! I'm the one who should be sorry," Obi-Wan blurted out before she could go on. "You could have lost your arm...I..."

"Look, we don't need another argument," Tri-Nah interrupted. "If we do we might blow up the ship or something." Tri-Nah had said the words in all seriousness, but as soon as she heard them and saw the look in Obi-Wan's eyes she had to laugh.

"It does seem that we are rather accident prone all of a sudden," Obi-Wan said, straight-faced. "You'd think I was ten all over again." Ten had been a bad year for Obi-Wan. He had grown several centimeters in a short period of time and had been quite clumsy. One particularly embarrassing time, he had tripped and tumbled into Tri-Nah in the dining hall, spilling both their trays of food on Master Mace Windu.

Tri-Nah started to laugh at the memory of Windu, covered in soup, but the movement caused a jolt of pain to shoot down her arm. She grimaced, fighting back the tears that quickly stung her eyes.

Obi-Wan moved over to her, taking the tube from her hand. "Need help?" he asked gently.

Keeping her head down, she slowly nodded.

Obi-Wan knelt down beside her and lifted her damp, wavy, black hair from where it lay across her hand and injured shoulder. Gently, he tapped the back of her hand.

Tri-Nah slowly lifted the sani-cloth from the wound. It didn't seem possible, but the wound looked worse than it had just after the accident.

Obi-Wan held back a dismayed gasp, but could not keep from jerking back from it and the pain that it had to be causing his friend. "I am so sorry," he said, starting to apologize all over again.

"It's okay. It's partly my fault too," she said firmly, trying to ease his guilt.

Without another word, he began gingerly spreading the gel over the burn, not wanting to hurt her any further. However, it didn't matter how gently Obi-Wan tended to the wound, it was still bound to hurt. Tri-Nah tried to concentrate as much healing power into the burn as she could, but Obi-Wan's closeness and obvious concern for her were keeping her from fully doing so. His hip was against her thigh and his left hand had encircled her arm just above her elbow. It was distracting, to say very least. 

A single tear slid down Tri-Nah's pale cheek. Obi-Wan reached up and brushed it away.

Tri-Nah looked up at him briefly and then turned away, causing her hair to tumble back around her shoulder and into the gel.

Obi-Wan caught her hair before it could do much damage and said, "I think you had better do something about this." He gave her hair a light tug and grinned at her to show that he meant no harm. Reaching into her pocket, Tri-Nah pulled out a hair elastic and, with a great deal of pain, pulled the mass of black hair back into a ponytail.

Tri-Nah stared at the transport's chronometer. It seemed as if the seconds were ticking by rather slowly. "Is this thing working right?" she asked tapping the face.

"Umm, hmmm," Obi-Wan answered absently.

Tri-Nah continued to stare at it as she concentrated on healing the burn.

"You should get some sleep," he suggested after noting the strain on her young face.

"I'd prefer to stay." She grinned mischievously and said, "Unless, of course, you'd rather not have my company." In wonder, Tri-Nah began to recognize that something strange had just happened between them. Something calming and peaceful had subtly made its way into both of their attitudes. It was as if, suddenly, they had put behind their childish bickering and had realized that they were no longer children. _*Had it really taken an accident to force us to reevaluate our relationship?*_ Tri-Nah wondered. She had no idea, but she did know that she liked the feeling and was no longer afraid of where they were headed, wherever that might be.

Obi-Wan felt it too. He had spent the time since the accident thinking. He'd looked closely at how he truly felt about her, why he had been so determined to be better than she is, and mostly, how much he would have missed her if the accident had been fatal. He had felt absolutely rotten at causing her pain and had very nearly fallen apart in the privacy of the shower. Now, he was not sure what exactly he wanted from her, but knew they were finally on the right path. If this had happened last year, they probably would never have spoken again.

Tri-Nah finally felt his eyes on her. She met his gaze with a smile. She knew, without words, that he had forgiven her for everything, real or imagined, just as she had forgiven him. She was glad because the asking was the hardest part.

Finally, Obi-Wan spoke, "I would enjoy your company." He was just as happy as Tri-Nah was. This new peace that existed between them felt good, and all was right with his world. He was apprentice to the Order's greatest Jedi and his best friend was truly his best friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How's Tri-Nah?" Qui-Gon asked after emerging from his cabin and finding that Lee-Stra had just come out of hers also.

"I'm not sure," Lee-Stra replied, concern evident in her voice. "She was in bed when I went to sleep, but now she isn't."

The cockpit door slid open and laughter rippled from it as both teens emerged. Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra both recognized immediately that this was not the same laughter that they were used to hearing from their students. It had lost its childish sound and had taken on a more mature quality.

With surprise Lee-Stra watched her Padawan. Obi-Wan had been telling Tri-Nah about some adventure he and Qui-Gon had shared at the beginning of their relationship, embellishing the tale as he told it. As they came out of the cockpit, Tri-Nah swung around in front of him. Planting her right hand on his chest she said, "That was not true, my friend, and you know it."

Obi-Wan looked down at her with a grin and his most innocent look, and replied, "Yes, it was." He looked away so that she could not see that he was indeed lying.

She grabbed the dimpled chin and forced him to meet her violet gaze, "Say that again, Mister."

"No."

She let go and turned. "Fine, I'll ask your Master and then..."

Obi-Wan grabbed her good arm and spun her back around. "Oh, no you won't..."

The teenagers had still not noticed their Masters standing just down the corridor. Like Lee-Stra, Qui-Gon took the opportunity to watch the Jedi Apprentices. Both Masters were amused, until it looked as if they were about to witness a first kiss. Something that neither one of them was ready to see. Alarm filled both of their minds and naturally spilled over to their students.

The two youthful faces snapped around in surprise.

"Master, are you okay?" Tri-Nah asked, seeing her Master standing in the doorway of their cabin. "Is it morning already?"

It took Lee-Stra a few moments to recover. Finally she said, "I'm fine and no, I was just looking for you. Why aren't you asleep?"

The girl explained that the pain had been too great to sleep and that she had gotten up, showered and stayed up to man the ship with Obi-Wan.

"I think you two should both get some sleep now," Qui-Gon said softly with a tone in his voice that Obi-Wan had never heard before. "We'll be arriving at Inlian shortly and you should be rested. Lee-Stra and I will take over for you here."

Feeling it was wiser not to question Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Tri-Nah both headed to their quarters. Qui-Gon watched them go and then turned his attention to Lee-Stra.

"I don't want to talk about this," Lee-Stra said, a bit more harshly than she had intended.

"Lee, we have put it off far too long. I don't want them going through what we did." Qui-Gon's voice was low and slightly pleading.

"We are fine now, Qui-Gon. They will be too. Besides, history does not have to repeat itself," Lee-Stra replied. _*Oh, please don't let it repeat itself,*_ she added silently, turning away from Qui-Gon. She was not ready to discuss her past love life with her student. She was terrified that by retelling the story, it would ignite the smoldering feelings that she still held for Qui-Gon Jinn. She had tried for far too long to keep those feelings out of her mind for them to start coming back now.

Qui-Gon reached out and gently grasped her arm turning her back towards him. "We are not fine, Lee," he said seriously.

As if proving his point, she tried to pull away from him, not at all comfortable with how close he was.

Qui-Gon reached up with his other hand and took hold of her other arm. "*I* am not fine with the way things have been, Lee. I..."

Trembling, Lee-Stra blurted out, "Oh, gods, Qui-Gon, don't!" She tried again to pull away. With her own feelings for Qui-Gon rising up inside of her, she was not ready to deal with knowing he felt the same way. Not now. Maybe not ever. There was far too much pain that was sure to return if she gave in and far too many secrets that would surface, no matter how badly she wanted him to kiss her and say the words she had longed to hear for so many years. _*It might not be what he was about to say,*_ she thought, trying to convince herself.

With a sigh, he released her. "It will all come out at some point," he stated matter-of-factly, brushing past her on his way to the cockpit.

Lee-Stra sadly watched him go, wondering if he had meant the telling of their past, or what she had thought, and hoped, he was about to say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah Wynne stepped out onto the ramp that led from the ship, a blast of cold air rustled the black waves of her hair. She hefted her survival pack onto her right shoulder, trying to find a comfortable way to carry it. Obi-Wan had offered to carry it, but she had refused. A Jedi must learn from adversity. She was hoping that by the time they reached the village in the hills, it would no longer be a problem.

Obi-Wan stepped up beside her and asked, "You okay?"

Tri-Nah nodded, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"What's that about?" Obi-Wan asked, puzzling over her strange smile.

She looked up at Obi-Wan and laughed. "Three days ago I would have thought you were patronizing me."

Obi-Wan smiled mischievously and said, "Three days ago, I would have been."

They laughed together, each one wondering if it would be the last laugh they would have for the next few days. They were headed into dangerous territory, full of warring tribes of hill dwellers armed with primitive weapons.

Qui-Gon stepped up behind them and placed a large hand on each back, guiding the teens down the ramp and into the bright red sunshine of Inlian.

Lee-Stra Enoch followed, her eyes lingering on the left hand that rested on her Padawan's back.

As soon as the four Jedi set foot in the valley village, excited people of all shapes and sizes, with dark skin and pointed ears surrounded them. The valley dwellers were all anxious for the hill dwellers to end their fighting, as many of them had relatives who lived in the mountains of Inlian.

One man finally calmed the group down. With a deep voice to match his deeply coloured skin, he said, "Greetings, friend Jedi. We welcome you to Inlian." He spread his arms wide and bowed gracefully. "It is late. We have secured your lodging for the evening. Guides from each hill tribe will take you up the mountain in the morning..."

The man went on to explain that they would travel together about halfway, then the two groups would split off to make the rest of the trip to the respective villages. Tribal leaders at each village were awaiting their mediation. A cease of hostilities had been called and both tribes were abiding by it until the Jedi's arrival and intervention.

Tri-Nah couldn't help but wonder, why they could agree to cease hostilities, but not agree on terms of peace for the sake of their people. Something did not feel right. She could not sense the people around her, not even her fellow Jedi. She stepped closer to Lee-Stra and suddenly caught a feeling of uneasiness from her Master. Apparently, Lee-Stra was feeling the same way.

The group followed the man into a home. Tri-Nah looked up at Qui-Gon and noted that the man's brow was creased. She wondered if he was feeling it too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as the man had left the Jedi alone, they discussed the matter.

"It's as if there is some Force dampening effect on the island," Qui-Gon stated.

"Why did we not feel it before we landed, Master? Besides, the data says nothing about it and these people still live rather primitively. They can't have technology that would do such a thing," Obi-Wan said. "Other Jedi have been here before and they said nothing of it."

"I know Padawan. I cannot explain it," Qui-Gon replied scratching at his beard absently.

"Should we abort?" Lee-Stra asked. It would be Qui-Gon's decision. He was the senior member of the group.

"No, these people need us. We cannot jump to conclusions. They may have nothing to do with it," he answered.

"It could be a natural phenomenon that has developed since the last Jedi was here," Tri-Nah suggested.

Qui-Gon nodded in agreement as he noticed that Tri-Nah was moving rather stiffly due to her injured shoulder and suggested that she go with him to the larger of the two villages instead of to the smaller one with Lee-Stra. He would be able to protect her a bit more if anything should arise.

Lee-Stra readily agreed. The girl was already just slightly taller than she and had often teased her about the student protecting the teacher before long. She was also not feeling up to the task at the moment.

Tri-Nah was not opposed to the idea. A few years ago she might have been because Qui-Gon's imposing height and deceptive gruffness had intimidated her. But over the years she had learned that behind the frown lay a fantastic sense of humor and a naturally loving nature. His strength in the Living Side of the Force helped a great deal too. They shared an insight to a given situation that their partners did not, for the most part, understand.

Obi-Wan did not have a problem with it either. It had been necessary in the past for he and Qui-Gon to split up on many missions, and working with Lee-Stra would be easier than working alone. It never hurt a Jedi to learn from another style of Force use.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Early the next morning, two guides banged on the door of the house the Jedi had been staying in. After leaving the house, they noticed a coat of frost covered everything in the village. Obi-Wan could even see his breath as it crystallized in the cold morning air, and the contrast from the warmth of the house made him shiver as the chill reached his bones. The group headed toward the outskirts of the valley village. It would take hours to reach the base of the mountain, and several more yet to get to the halfway point. It would be rough going once they reached the mountain, and the other three Jedi were concerned about Tri-Nah's shoulder. She had reassured them before leaving the house that she was fine and had even demonstrated by swinging her arm in a full circle without any indication of pain. It had hurt, but not nearly as much as it had the day before.

Satisfied with the demonstration, they had dropped the matter and concentrated on the trip ahead, however, they couldn't completely stop worrying about her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The small group didn't stop until they reached the halfway mark, where they all sat down for a brief rest and to enjoy a noon meal. Snow had begun softly falling and both Qui-Gon and Tri-Nah wished for the time to appreciate the feather-like flakes. With a sigh, Tri-Nah hoisted the pack onto her right shoulder and started to follow the guides up the mountain.

A sudden crack from Obi-Wan's left interrupted their rest. He jumped to his feet, lightsaber in hand. The rest followed, warily looking about them. Whatever the cause of the Force dampening, it seemed a bit stronger on the mountain, making them unusually jumpy. Although they could still use the Force, they could not sense things as clearly. It was disconcerting, and they felt like they were slowly going blind.

Like lightning, a group of men leapt out of a hidden cave, pointing projectile weapons at the group, and surrounding them on all sides. They began firing.

The Jedi responded immediately, using their lightsabers to deflect as much of the weapon fire as they could.

With each squeeze of the trigger, the primitive weapons shot out a group of ten or more small, smooth stones, each one coated in poison. It was nearly impossible for the lightsabers to catch all of the stones as the onslaught continued. One whizzed dangerously close to Lee-Stra's ear.

Tri-Nah noticed that the men were trying to separate Obi-Wan from the rest of the group and that their guides had joined forces with their attackers. It was a trap. The whole thing had been set up. But why? She ran toward Obi-Wan sensing a man to her right leveling his weapon at the young Jedi's head. She had no time to question how she had sensed this as she lunged toward her friend.

Obi-Wan had been doing a fair job of catching the flying stones, but he was growing tired under the unrelenting assault. He dodged a cluster of stones, only to be caught in the back by six other stones. He could feel every single one as it made contact with his body, and the burn of the poison trying to make its way into his bloodstream. Using the Force, he did his best to purge his body of the poison and fought on. He heard Tri-Nah yelling at him to duck.

She brought her lightsaber up near his head blocking the dozen projectiles that flew at the young man's head, but completely missed the second shot aimed at her. Four of the smooth stones caught her in the right side.

Between her initial lunge and the impact of the stones, Tri-Nah toppled into Obi-Wan. Together they rolled down an embankment. In an effort to protect Tri-Nah, Obi-Wan did his best to wrap himself around her as they fell. Arms and legs became tangled as the pair flew crazily down the slick slope.

They could hear one of the men say to another who was peering over the side, "Leave them, they'll be dead from the poison before they reach the bottom. Go after the other female."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra had somehow managed to dispatch most of the men that had pushed them back down the mountain. They had long lost sight of the teens, but had no time to worry. _*They can take care of themselves.*_ Qui-Gon reminded himself, although he couldn't completely dispel his anxiety.

The men who had tried to trap Obi-Wan were now trying to overtake the older couple, but they had sorely underestimated the Jedi. They were taken out of the picture just as quickly as the group that had been pushing them down the mountain. All of their attackers were either dead or severely injured. Only one of the guides remained, cowering under a bush.

Qui-Gon grabbed the man up by his collar. "Where are the boy and the girl?" he demanded with a dangerous calm.

Wide-eyed, the man shook his head.

Heartsick, Lee-Stra tried reaching out to her apprentice, but found only emptiness.

One of the injured men laughed painfully and said, "They're dead."

Fear stung the back of Qui-Gon's throat as he too tried to reach his Padawan. They had no idea where the pair had been fighting. The snow was falling heavily now, and had already covered most of the tracks they had just made. It was getting dark and they had no shelter. Squashing the fear before it could take hold, Qui-Gon turned his attention back to the injured man. "What do you mean, 'they're dead'?"

A cruel smile turned the dark lips up. "Poison. They were shot, both of them. They're dead..." the man's voice faded away as his eyes closed.

The Jedi Master fought back the urge to punch the man as he turned back toward the frightened guide. Fear, anger, hate... He was dangerously close to the Dark Side.

As if sensing what question would be asked, the guide started quickly explaining, "It was a trap. We wanted your technology. The Jedi are greatly advanced. There was never a war between the tribes. We...we are tired of the valley dwellers ruling our lives. We wanted technology so that we could rule. We thought that if we trapped one of you we could bribe you..."

His further explanation was even more chilling. They had learned from an off-planet trader that a Jedi's Force-sense could be blocked with a series of inarcation tubes. The trader had several of the devices and the hill dwellers had placed them so that they grew into the trees on the side of the mountain. The tubes had, for the most part, worked. But the rumors of war had taken longer for the valley dwellers to believe and act upon than the hill dwellers had anticipated, and the tubes were slowly deteriorating. Now, they merely blocked thoughts and feelings instead of the full range of Jedi abilities that they were rumored to block. This explained why the Jedi had been able to pick up on each other's thoughts at close range and why the effect seemed to come and go randomly.

"I am sorry, but your friends are dead. The poison works rapidly," the guide continued sounding sincere enough.

Lee-Stra did not bother to tell him that they had known about the poison and each of them had the ability to purge themselves of it. Aside from the fact that they didn't need to share this advantage with their attackers, the poison was not what was worrying her. It was the fact that night fell swiftly on Inlian. If the teens were still alive and together, they had nowhere to ride out the freezing temperatures. Neither did she and Qui-Gon for that matter.

Qui-Gon had picked up on her line of thinking and asked the guide, "Are there caves in the mountain?"

"Yes, but we will not need them. I will take you to my village. They will not harm you, I will explain. I never wanted to be a part of this, and I have friends who did not either. They will help, but there is nothing we can do until morning. Then we can search for the bodies."

He seemed repentant enough, but the two Jedi did not like the idea of putting their faith in a man who had just tried to help assassinate them. Unfortunately, they didn't have much of a choice. Finally, after a moment of indecision, Qui-Gon reluctantly indicated for the guide to lead the way, knowing that the man was right about not being able to do anything until morning. If they stayed in this spot any longer they would freeze. He fervently hoped that the man was wrong about finding bodies. The Padawans would feel the poison and react properly. Obi-Wan would find them shelter for the night.

Lee-Stra had stayed quiet during the whole thing. She was more terrified than she had ever been in her life. Her apprentice was out there somewhere in the dropping temperatures, possibly dead and more than likely suffering further injury.

They followed the guide for nearly an hour. He skirted them around the perimeter of the village until he reached a secluded group of houses, where he stopped and made a series of clicking noises. An answering click followed and he motioned for the Jedi to follow and keep quiet. Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra glanced at each other quickly and then warily followed their guide.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan landed with a quiet thud. Powdery snow flew up around him, followed by another burst as Tri-Nah landed across his legs.

Tri-Nah lay there stunned for several minutes before she could assess the damages caused by the fall. The healing burn on her shoulder had reopened when she had hit a rock on the way down the slope and she could feel blood oozing down her arm. She could also feel each of the four stones embedded in her skin.

Remembering the poison, Obi-Wan sat straight up and yelled, "Purge, Tri-Nah, purge!"

Tri-Nah's head was beginning to spin and she could not quite comprehend what he meant.

Obi-Wan, near panic, grabbed her. "The poison, Tri-Nah, purge the poison!" He shook her a little as he spoke.

Obi-Wan's frantic shaking sent a jolt of pain into the burn and snapped Tri-Nah's mind back to attention. She sank into the Force, focused, and began the process of purging the poison from her system. She was a bit dazed, but felt confident that she could neutralize the poison.

"Hey," Obi-Wan said a short while later, gently shaking her again. "Are you still with me?"

"Oww!" Tri-Nah cried, batting at his hand. It was too near the burn and was causing her pain. "Knock it off."

With relief and a small grin, Obi-Wan replied, "Yeah, you're still with me. Now get off my feet." He had been afraid that she had waited too long and the poison had already taken effect.

Tri-Nah slowly rose to her feet, assessing her damage. Her ankle was a bit sore, but still functioned, and the poison didn't seem to have left any lasting side effects. However her shoulder was throbbing again.

Tri-Nah glanced over at Obi-Wan and saw that they were both covered in dirt and snow. They had splashed through an icy creek on the way down, just before landing on its other bank. Tri-Nah's black hair was matted and hanging in a dripping mess about her shoulders. She tried to squeeze as much water and mud from it as she could.

Obi-Wan too was assessing damage. The small stones embedded in his back and a gash across his right cheek caused the only pain he could feel. He gingerly touched it, and then looked at the blood coating his fingers. He then looked up at the sky, or what little he could see through the overhanging trees. It was getting dark and the temperature had dropped significantly. He reached out with the Force in hopes of reaching his Master, but it was no use.

The embankment loomed above them. There was no way for them to climb it and from the looks of it, there was no way around it either. They needed shelter or they would soon freeze to death. Obi-Wan looked about and noticed a dark object not far from where they had landed. It was one of their packs. Somehow, one of them must have been able to keep a hold of it.

Obi-Wan picked the pack up and opened it. It was his.

"Well, at least we have some rations and drinkable water," he said, holding it up and then slinging it over his shoulder. "Need some help?"

"No," Tri-Nah answered defensively. She didn't know why she felt defensive. Maybe it was habit. Softening her tone she asked, "Which direction should we go?"

Obi-Wan decided to ignore the defensive tone. She was in pain. He could see it on her face. "Best bet would be to follow the creek upstream. It will take us back up, hopefully to where we started. We have to get back, find our bearings, and go down to the village."

Wordlessly, Tri-Nah trudged through the snow after Obi-Wan. She knew their Masters would be worried, if they were still alive. The sudden thought that their Masters may not have survived sent a horrifying chill through Tri-Nah. What would she do without Lee-Stra Enoch? She could not imagine trying to bond with a new Master. The woman had to be alive!

In a matter of minutes they came across a cave. Obi-Wan suggested they see if it was inhabited and consider spending the night inside. The temperature was continually dropping and he was worried about making it back to the village before it was too cold. He pulled a glow rod from his pack and shined it toward the mouth of the cave.

Seeing no signs of danger at the mouth, they cautiously entered, reaching out with the Force. Satisfied that it was currently unoccupied, Obi-Wan tossed his pack down on the floor of the cave and did some further inspection.

It was a large cave with a gurgling hot spring running through it. "This must be why it is so warm in here," he said waving the glow rod toward the spring. They had found a perfect place to heal and get some rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After settling into the cave, Obi-Wan and Tri-Nah turned their focus onto their injuries. Tri-Nah knew they both needed help removing the stones from their bodies, but she really did not want to expose herself to Obi-Wan, not even for her own good. She looked over at him and noticed the pinched expression as he removed his cloak. He was in pain and she could not let it go on. She moved over to his side and looked up at the gash in his cheek.

"Sit down," she said. It came out like an order.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, saluting her and clicking his heels together smartly. As he lowered himself onto a boulder, he regretted the action as it sent prickles of pain from each of the wounds in his back.

She rummaged through the pack and pulled out the med kit. She cleaned the gash, applied bacta gel, and bandaged it. "Looks like a pretty nasty gash," she said softly. 

"I'm sure it's attractive," Obi-Wan said dryly, trying to use humor to cover the affect that her closeness had on him.

Tri-Nah refrained from answering. Bandage or no bandage, Obi-Wan was attractive. Very attractive. She tried to push the thought from her mind and tried to come up with a tactful way to tell him to take off his tunics. After a moment of thought, she realized that there really was no way. She just hoped that he would not make a smart comment. "You, umm...need to..."

He saved her from further speech by reaching around and unfastening his belt. He had figured out what she was trying to say and began undressing. This was not going to be easy.

Tri-Nah turned away and fiddled with the med kit. Why was this so hard? Jedi were not supposed to care about the physical appearance of others and especially of themselves. And yet, here was this situation, and she did not feel she was handling it properly.

Without looking at Obi-Wan, she moved around to his back as he removed his bloodied undershirt. She didn't know whether to be repulsed by the ugly wounds or impressed with the well-defined muscles. She'd had no idea what Obi-Wan Kenobi had hidden away beneath his Jedi clothing all these years.

And now it was marred with six perfectly circular wounds.

Pushing the thoughts aside she set to work. "This is going to hurt," she said, stating the obvious but feeling the need to say something. She steeled herself. This was going to be a bit gory also.

To Obi-Wan's credit, he did not make a sound or flinch once during the entire process, although Tri-Nah knew he had come close. Because of their nearness, she was picking up on his thoughts from time to time and his mind had screamed out as she had dug out the deepest stone. She was thankful that she could not see his face. While she had worked on one just above his shoulder blade, she could see his jaw working at a furious pace. That sight had been enough. She had moved so that his face was no longer in her line of view.

As Tri-Nah worked, Obi-Wan's control on the Force was slipping. He'd never thought about how painful it could be to have someone digging into his skin before. He was beginning to doubt he would be able to keep from crying out. In an effort to draw his attention away from the pain, he tried to concentrate on Tri-Nah. It worked for a short time, but the brush of her clothing against his skin was a bit maddening. He had also picked up on her concern, and that wasn't a good thing to dwell on either. He went back to focusing the healing power of the Force into the last stone left in his back. When Tri-Nah had finished and moved away, he sat still for many minutes, eyes closed and trying to ease a sense of peace back into his mind and body.

Tri-Nah refused to look at him. He would have to do the same to her in a little while. She pretended that it wouldn't happen and set about trying to wash the blood from her hands and his undershirt in the hot spring. She was tired already. It had caused Obi-Wan so much pain and stress as she pulled the stones from his back that she felt she more than likely would not be able to handle it. So much of her own healing power had been poured into the burn on her shoulder over the last day and a half. Now, trying to keep the pain at bay was making her quite anxious. _*This is not helping, Tri-Nah Wynne. Relax,*_ she willed herself. She continued scrubbing the undershirt until most of the blood was washed away and then she laid it out on a rock to dry.

Finally feeling in control of himself, Obi-Wan set to work on starting a fire. Even with the warmth emanating from the hot spring, it was beginning to get chilly in the cave as the temperature continued to drop outside. It probably didn't help that he was shirtless, but he had little choice until the wounds were healed further.

Tri-Nah was studiously trying to avoid looking at him, but it was impossible. Why had they been put into this situation? Especially now, after this unspoken truce? She was sure she could have dealt with the whole thing much better in their prior adversarial roles. Of course, that had been the purpose of their adversity in the first place--to keep the other thoughts and feelings buried where they did not need to be analyzed. Now, however, those feelings were in the forefront of her mind. They had been ever since she had forgiven him. How did she really feel about him? She brought her knees up, resting her hands on them, and buried her face.

Obi-Wan interpreted this to mean that she was in a great amount of pain and that it was now his turn to remove stones. After his experience, he was not looking forward to it. One of the last things he wanted was to hurt Tri-Nah, even in an effort to help her. He moved over to her with the med kit. He washed the instruments she had used and sterilized them.

Tri-Nah removed both of her tunics and looked at him. "Could you work on the burn first?" she requested.

"Sure," he replied, cleaning the blood from around the reopened gash. Again he felt horrible that it had been his doing. When he finished, he moved behind her and turned his back, instinctively knowing she would need some privacy.

Tri-Nah hesitated before removing the undershirt. She quickly grabbed up her tunic and covered her chest as best she could while still leaving Obi-Wan access to the four wounds along her side. She sank as deeply into the Force as she could, trying to ignore the oddness of the two of them shirtless in a cave, on an island, in the midst of a vast ocean world, two days from Coruscant, without their Masters.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath before turning around. He snatched up his tunic and stuffed his arms into the sleeves, hoping that at the very least one of them would feel dressed. Three of the stones in Tri-Nah's side were close together and just above her waistline. The third was higher and further around to her front. This wasn't going to be easy. He started to work, trying to ignore the placement of the fourth stone.

Silent tears trickled down Tri-Nah's pale cheeks. There had been no use in even attempting to hold them back. She bit her lip in order not to cry out. She had even tried to amuse herself with the thought that if this had happened last week she would have been calling him names and blaming him for the whole thing. It did bring a small smile to her lips, but the smile quickly disappeared when he touched her elbow. It was obscuring him from getting to the last stone. She was forced to move her arm up and around herself. The last stone was embedded just below her breast. She had no choice, but to let him see a part of her body he had never seen before. She turned her head away and closed her eyes and her mind.

Obi-Wan hesitated after removing the third stone. How could he do this? _*By just doing it, Kenobi. And quickly.*_ He touched her elbow and watched as she clutched her left arm with her right hand. She was trying to keep covered, but it was impossible. He closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself not to think about where his hands would be. He worked as quickly as possible and flicked the offending stone across the cave. He rose from her side and turned away, trying desperately to not think about how her skin had felt. He kicked at a rock, disgusted with himself. He should not be having these kinds of thoughts, especially in this situation. He lowered his body to the floor of the cave, near the fire, and plunged headlong into meditation.

Tri-Nah had drawn her knees up to her chest again, and rested her forehead on them. She tried to ignore both the pain and Obi-Wan's obvious distress. She had seen the kick to the rock and the way he had sat down. She pushed the image from her mind and concentrated on healing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Neither Qui-Gon nor Lee-Stra could get any sleep. They were too worried about their Padawans. Ten years was too long a time to be involved so wholly in another's life and not worry about them in this sort of situation.

Qui-Gon had been through too much with Obi-Wan to imagine life without him. They had been together, if not in body then in spirit, from the day he had met the tiny four-month-old baby. Later on, he had never known when he might find the five-year-old boy lurking around a corner, ready to pounce on him unexpectedly; or find the teenager waiting for him with a steaming cup of tea after a long session with the Council. Qui-Gon had nursed him back to health after a rather rough bout with Rigelian flu, and of course cuts, scrapes, bruises and hurt feelings also needed tending over the years; and all those late night sessions trying to figure Tri-Nah Wynne out after one encounter or another with the girl.

A smile creased his eyes despite the worry. Men were not meant to figure out women. It was a fact of life. Even male Jedi were cursed with the inability to figure out the females around them; especially those with whom they were emotionally involved.

This line of thinking drew his attention to Lee-Stra. She was far more disturbed about this than he had ever seen her. She was nearly frantic. She was not outwardly showing it, but he could sense it as clearly as his own worry.

Qui-Gon moved to her side and put an arm around her shoulders. To his surprise she buried her face in his chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lee-Stra was frantic. Her mind was jumping from one horrible fate to another. She felt helplessly out of control, like she had felt only one other time in her life. Except that time, unlike the other, she could not run away from what was in front of her. She tried over and over to calm herself, but another image of her Padawan frozen in the snow would plaster itself across her thoughts. She could not lose the girl. Tri-Nah was all she had.

She placed shaky hands over her eyes as if they could block out the wild images racing through her mind. Lee-Stra's thoughts turned to the past. To the violet-eyed, raven-haired six-year-old that she had led from a classroom up to the Council Chambers. Little Tri-Nah's questions had not stopped from the moment they had entered the lift until they had entered the round room. Lee-Stra had wondered if she had been wise to even think of taking the girl as her Padawan. How would she ever answer all those questions? Especially considering the girl rarely waited for an answer before asking the next one. Little had changed, except the questions of course. They had gotten harder, particularly those about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Why is Obi-Wan so mean?" the six-year-old would ask. "Will Obi-Wan ever stop pestering me?" questioned the ten-year-old. "What do you really think of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master?" the thirteen-year-old would ponder. "Why does he look at me like that? Like I'm some subspecies or something?" demanded the irate fourteen-year-old. "Is it just me, Master? Or is Obi-Wan Kenobi really that self-absorbed?" Tri-Nah had asked just three weeks earlier. This last question had left Lee-Stra wondering what the next question might be. Always lingering under the surface questions, she had always felt that Tri-Nah had one more that she dared not ask. It was there, lurking around every discussion involving Obi-Wan. Lee-Stra had more than once been tempted to answer it. Just straight out say, "Yes, Tri-Nah, I do believe he will kiss you one of these days, now stop obsessing about it." But she had not done it, knowing that the girl needed the antagonism that she displayed toward Obi-Wan until they were both ready to deal with their feelings. Now, the cover had been removed and they might not have lived long enough to realize a mature relationship.

Lee-Stra pushed herself upright and away from that line of thinking. She could not help the girl through the cold night, much less with a relationship similar to one that she herself had not dealt with correctly in the past.

She saw Qui-Gon moving toward her and for the first time in a very long time, she let herself be wrapped in his strong arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After reaching a semblance of calm, Obi-Wan rose from his spot near the fire. Tri-Nah was still where he had left her, hugging her knees to herself. He noticed that she was shivering and draped her cloak over her bare back.

Tri-Nah carefully drew the cloak about herself and pushed her arms through the sleeves. She looked up at him and said a quiet, "Thank you."

"You should get some sleep," he said, grasping her elbow.

"You keep telling me that," she replied trying to smile. But, she was far too tired to pull it off.

Obi-Wan balled up his undertunic and placed it on the ground near the fire, "I am the senior Jedi here," he said, thankful for their ability to rely on humor during a stressful situation. "I can turn it into an order if I must."

"I'd disobey if I were able," Tri-Nah replied. She curled up under her cloak and laid her head down on the shirt, falling asleep almost as the words left her mouth.

Between searching for enough wood to keep them warm and keeping an eye on the mouth of the cave, Obi-Wan watched her sleep. He kept hoping to detect movement outside the cave, which would probably mean that Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra had found them. But he was also aware that movement might mean some Inlian beast out for a free meal instead of their Masters rescue attempt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah awoke several hours later, rested, but not fully. She was also not fully healed from the damage done to her body.

Obi-Wan was leaned against the wall of the cave, looking very tired.

She slid herself the meter or so over to his side. "Going to order yourself to get some sleep now, Captain?" she asked with an impudent grin.

"Maybe," he replied, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Captain Kenobi. Sounds like some sappy holovid hero. I think I prefer General if you are handing out titles."

Tri-Nah laughed. "General Obi-Wan Kenobi, yeah right. Aiming a might high, aren't we?"

"Only place to go is up or out." He lifted his weary body and neared the fire, "I think I'll choose out for now," he said with a tired grin. He too fell asleep almost immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah felt useless sitting there--useless and filthy. Her black hair had dried and was now feeling rather heavy on her head with all the mud that had caked in it.

She stuck a few sticks in to refuel the fire and looked longingly at the water. Did she dare bathe? She knew she would feel better mentally if she felt clean physically. But what if Obi-Wan woke up and caught her being vain?_ *You're not being vain,*_ she tried to tell herself. _*You're being practical. The dirt could precipitate infection.*_

How could she pull this off? She'd have to undress, get into the water, bathe, get out, and not get caught. She timed the events in her head. It had to work. She couldn't stand the weight of her hair or the feel of the dirt coating her entire body any longer. _*If he sees, he sees.*_

Tri-Nah rummaged quickly around in Obi-Wan's pack and found a half-empty bottle of cleanser. "Does the word replenish mean anything to you?" she whispered at the sleeping back. She finally summoned the courage to shrug out of her cloak and pants and stepped into the warm water that pooled near one wall of the cave. The pool was deep enough that when she knelt down, the water came up to her armpits. As she had suspected, the water was much warmer at her feet since it was untouched by the cooler air of the cave. She tried to swish some of the warmer water to the surface.

She dipped her head back and rinsed away as much of the dirt as she could from her hair. She washed it with a bit of the cleanser and then proceeded to wash herself. The warm water eased away some of the pain of sore muscles, and the clean feeling eased away some of the mental strain. She frequently shifted her violet eyes over to Obi-Wan for any signs of wakefulness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan did wake up and could hear the splash of water. He rolled over and could faintly see that Tri-Nah was in the pool. It was hard to make out any details in the dimly lit cave, but he got a pretty good idea of what she was doing, before guilt and embarrassment kicked in and he quickly rolled back over. If she ever knew he had even remotely seen anything, she would kill him on the spot. He was sure of it as he tried to push the idea of her only a meter or so away, and in a rather enticing state of undress, out of his mind. But it was already there and refused to go away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah carefully lifted her cloak like a shield and wrapped it around herself, thankful that she had brought the heavy, water and dirt resistant one. She stoked the fire and leaned against the wall, idly wondering what she would do if Obi-Wan were to wake up and find her in her current state. He wouldn't know that she was naked under the cloak. _*So it doesn't matter, at least you are clean.*_

Obi-Wan gave up on trying to sleep and sat up. He had heard Tri-Nah moving about and had given himself some time to try to fall back to sleep after she had settled down, but he could not, and now she was moving around again.

"Don't move," Tri-Nah ordered in an alarmed voice, when he sat up.

He obeyed, not really knowing why. Maybe there was a snake about to latch onto his arm. He listened and could only hear her rustling clothing. He finally caught on that she was dressing, and an embarrassed heat crawled up his neck.

Tri-Nah had gotten up and was shaking her damp hair over the fire, hoping it would speed the drying process. It was almost dry by the time Obi-Wan had stirred. She had nearly panicked when he moved and now she had to hustle into her clothing.

Trying to sound as nonchalant as possible he asked, "How are you feeling?" He could see her silhouette on the wall from the glow of the fire.

"Better, and you?" she answered.

"Fine. Hungry, but fine," he replied feeling like he was babbling. "Finished?"

"Oh, sorry, yes," Tri-Nah answered apologetically, unable to look at him.

He turned to find her looking very clean, considering the circumstances.

Tri-Nah slipped her boots on and said, "I'll try to find something edible and more wood. It will probably stay dark for another two or three hours."

"Don't go far," Obi-Wan suggested. He eyed Tri-Nah's state of cleanliness with envy. "I'll see if I can get cleaned up some," he said, running a hand over his spiky hair. Dirt scattered across his shoulders as he did so.

Her nose curled up in mock disgust at the dirt as she wrapped her cloak about herself and headed for the mouth of the cave, mentally timing how long it might take him to "clean up."

As soon as the cold air hit her, she shivered. What a place to get stuck--a frozen island in the midst of a frozen ocean. She tried for what felt like the millionth time to reach out with the Force to her Master, but got no where once again. They had left their comlinks on board the ship because they were useless here. The metal count in the trees masked all communication. Tri-Nah sighed and moved further away from the cave. She found a bush with berries and tested the tiny fruit with an analyzer that she had retrieved from Obi-Wan's pack. They were edible and she gathered all that she could from the frozen branches, not stopping to wonder how they had grown under the current weather conditions.

The young woman trudged back through the snow to the cave and stepped in just as Obi-Wan was pulling on his pants. She froze momentarily in panic at having walked in on him. Thankfully, his back was to her and he had no idea what she had just seen. As quietly as possible, Tri-Nah backed away from the cave. Then making more noise than a Jedi student should, Tri-Nah stepped back into the cave.

Obi-Wan turned and pulled his undershirt over his head. "Find anything?" he asked totally unaware of what he was doing.

Tri-Nah had hoped that he would have already had his shirt on, and tried not to visibly react to the sight of his well-defined chest. She nodded, not trusting her voice, and held out the berries that she had gathered and carried in the folds of her cloak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After all of the effort spent in drying her hair and looking for food, Tri-Nah was once again exhausted. She leaned back against the stone wall and closed her eyes.

Obi-Wan looked over at her and saw how pale she looked. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm freezing all of a sudden," Tri-Nah replied, shivering.

"Surely we didn't miss any stones. Are you in pain?" he asked in concern.

"No, just cold and tired," she answered weakly.

Obi-Wan put a hand on her forehead. It was hot. He shouldn't have sent her outside. He slid his hand down the side of her face and around to the back of her neck where he felt a small lump. He pulled her head down toward himself to get a better look.

"What are you doing?" Tri-Nah asked as she resisted his pull.

"I think we did miss one, hold still." He moved her hair out of the way and found a nasty looking circular wound. It had begun to become infected. "You can't feel that?" he asked in alarm after poking at it.

She raised her hand to feel it herself and shook her head.

Obi-Wan batted her hand away as he reached for the med kit, thankful that it was within reach. He removed the stone and cleaned the wound, placing a hand over it and channeling Force energy into it in an effort to speed the healing process. Gently he pulled her head down to his chest.

Neither one could tell why she had not felt it. It had caused her no pain. But they were each thankful that it had been found before it had been too late.

Tri-Nah was drifting off to sleep as an idle thought from Obi-Wan entered her sleepy mind. He was enjoying her closeness very much and wondering if he, as a Jedi, was allowed to feel this way.

He could feel her smile as she drifted into slumber. Obi-Wan moved his hand away from her neck and pulled her closer as she shivered in her sleep.

He had no idea how to deal with the feelings swirling about his mind. There was no training for the Jedi in interpersonal relationships. It was not a thing that the Masters promoted. However, they didn't exactly discourage them either, which left Obi-Wan hanging.

Here he was at the age of nineteen, for all intents and purposes an adult, and he did not know how to handle this girl to whom he had been attracted to most of his life. Most Masters considered anyone who was still a Padawan Learner to be a minor. They usually did not recognize an individual as an adult until one had reached Knighthood. It really depended on a person's behavior and ability and how their Master treated them.

If he had ever felt anything more than attraction or friendship toward a female, he might have asked questions. That might have gotten him nowhere though. For all he knew, Qui-Gon Jinn was celibate. However, he had his doubts about that. There had, from time to time, been women who would look and act rather strangely around the Jedi Master. Obi-Wan had given it little thought at the time and did not want to think about it now either. Then there was Lee-Stra Enoch. She had been around a lot over the years. Obi-Wan was almost as familiar with her as he was Qui-Gon. His Master claimed they were just friends, but there was the implication that it had not always been so. Qui-Gon had even seemed to exhibit a tinge of regret over it. Obi-Wan had never been able to get more out of the man on the subject. A couple of years earlier, he could have sworn he had interrupted more than a conversation between the two Jedi, but he had never been able to confirm it.

Tri-Nah shivered in her sleep and Obi-Wan pulled his cloak around her. He smiled, thinking that he could live with this on a daily basis. He leaned his sandy head back against the rock behind him and his mind began to wander. It wandered aimlessly for quite some time before forming a daydream. In the daydream, Obi-Wan pulled Tri-Nah closer and lifted her chin from his chest and kissed her.

For some unknown reason the daydream found its way through the Force into Tri-Nah's dreams. The girl jerked awake just as their lips met.

Obi-Wan was immediately on the alert. "What is it?"

Tri-Nah had no idea that the dream had originated from anywhere other than her own subconscious, so she quickly shrugged it off. "It was only a dream," she replied quickly, refusing to elaborate. She rose and approached the entrance of the cave. "It's starting to get light out. Maybe we should head out," she suggested.

"I think we should wait a bit more. Let the temperature rise some. We will be on the shady side of the mountain," Obi-Wan reasoned logically.

Tri-Nah turned and with a mocking salute said, "Aye aye, General."

The young man laughed, glad for the distraction from his earlier thoughts. Tri-Nah needed a bit of distraction too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Qui-Gon Jinn awoke with a start, not realizing that he had fallen asleep. He started again when he was aware that his arms were wrapped around something. Lee-Stra Enoch lay sleeping in his arms. It took the Jedi a moment to recall exactly where he was and to confirm that he was not dreaming. _*If it had been a dream, then it had started out as a nightmare.*_ He and Lee-Stra were in a hut, waiting for the sun to rise, so that they could go search for Obi-Wan and Tri-Nah, though their guide was sure that the students were frozen corpses by now.

"Lee, wake up," Qui-Gon said as he gently shook the woman.

Lee-Stra lifted her head from his chest and blinked several times. She started to say something, but was stopped by a large finger across her lips.

"Let's not analyze this, not now. Let's go find the kids," Qui-Gon said with a shake of his head.

They headed out into the cold morning sunshine. The people in the village did the same, starting their day just as they always did. Not one of them was concerned with two injured teenagers lost in the snow. Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra did not bother to wait for their guide to make an appearance. Both of them were anxious to get back to the site of the attack and begin their search for Obi-Wan and Tri-Nah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah had just finished eating half of a ration bar when an unexpected noise made her whirl around toward the cave entrance. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Obi-Wan asked, quickly swallowing his last bite of ration bar.

"I heard something," Tri-Nah replied, moving closer to the entrance.

He grabbed for her hand. "Careful, if there is something out there it might not be friendly," he said, reaching for his lightsaber.

They stepped out of the cave at the same time. A bird of some sort screeched at them from above. They each raised their eyes toward the branches overhead.

"That must have been it," Obi-Wan said with relief, returning his weapon to his belt and turning to gather what little gear they had. They had decided to leave as soon as they had eaten their meager breakfast.

Tri-Nah remained just outside of the cave. She was not convinced that the bird was what she had heard. She looked about. Enough snow had fallen that her tracks had been covered from the search she had made earlier that morning for their breakfast. Her gaze turned back toward a group of trees to her right. Something was not right; there was a lump in the snow under the trees that seemed unnatural. She clearly remembered walking under those trees and there had been no rise in the ground, but now there seemed to be a snow covered hump. Tri-Nah took a few steps toward the mound of snow, aware that she could be walking into a trap, similar to the one they had encountered the day before.

A tiny movement of snow caused the girl to grab her lightsaber from her belt. A repeat of the noise that she had heard minutes ago caused her to gasp. She crept forward and watched closely for more movement. There it was again, followed by the noise. Tri-Nah bent over the mound and reached out toward the mass.

"Are you crazy?" Obi-Wan's voice asked, causing Tri-Nah to jump back from the heap of snow. "What are you doing?"

"There's something here," Tri-Nah gasped, glaring at Obi-Wan for startling her as she tried to get her breathing back under control.

"Yeah, and it could be another trap. Step back," Obi-Wan ordered, pulling his lightsaber off of his belt again.

"I don't sense any danger, Obi-Wan, calm down," Tri-Nah reasoned.

"Neither do I, but the Force isn't all that reliable here, you know," he answered. He was now standing next to her and staring at the snow in front of them. It moved again.

"There did you see it? If it's a trap don't you think they would have grabbed me by now?" Tri-Nah said, using her former "stupid Obi-Wan" tone of voice. She had unconsciously slipped back into it because he was using his "protect the little girl" tone of voice and attitude.

Neither one had time to analyze why they had so easily slid back into their adversarial roles as the snow once again moved and the noise had increased.

Suddenly, Tri-Nah recognized the sound and with a gasp, began frantically brushing away the snow. When she found her prize, she took a sharp intake of breath. Under the layer of snow was a woman. 

Obi-Wan bent over the woman and checked for a pulse. It was so faint that he was sure the woman was taking her last breaths. "Get the med kit from my pack." he said quickly.

Tri-Nah had already been searching for it, but knew it was too late for the woman. She reached down and sadly put a hand over the unseeing black eyes. "It's too late, Obi-Wan."

Neither one of them wanted to believe it as they each took a step away from the body. Tri-Nah started to turn away, but then she heard the noise once more. She spun back around and searched for a pulse on the woman. There was none to be found. The noise again sounded and drew her attention to a bag clutched in the woman's arms. The bag moved ever so slightly. Tri-Nah's violet eyes were wide as she removed the bag from the woman's grip.

"Oh, my stars!" Tri-Nah exclaimed when she touched the bag. The Force emanated from it. She slowly unzipped the bag and gasped once more.

Inside the bag was a small bundle of flesh and bone. Black eyes blinked up at Tri-Nah and began to fill with tears, closely followed by an ear-piercing wail.

"I think it may be hungry," Obi-Wan said, calmly. He wasn't much for babies, but this one seemed rather special. He too could feel the Force swirling about the tiny thing. "I guess Tri-Nah saved your life," he said to the baby and then he, flinched as the high pitched wail increased.

Tri-Nah's eyes were locked on the baby's as she cooed softly to it. It calmed slightly and Tri-Nah moved back into the shelter of the cave. "Look in the bag. See what's in there."

The baby was cold, wet, and hungry. Tri-Nah hoped that Obi-Wan would find the needed supplies in the bag. Each Jedi student spent some time in the Temple nursery tending to the babies as part of their training, and she tried desperately to remember the time that she had spent there. Tri-Nah smiled down at the dark-skinned infant, thinking that this must be why she had been forced to do her time in the nursery.

Obi-Wan pulled everything out of the bag. The mother had packed well, even if she had not planned well. Everything one would need to care for a baby had been placed inside. Bottles, food, diapers, clothing, a toy, and even a data card. Obi-Wan idly wondered if it held instructions on caring for an infant. Had the woman planned on dying after all?

Tri-Nah stripped the infant of its wet clothing and exclaimed, "It's a girl!" She took the baby over to the hot spring to clean her up, wondering how long the mother had been traveling. "You poor thing," she whispered to the child.

The baby had ceased wailing and had calmed to a whimper as Tri-Nah tended to her. At one point, she even tearfully grinned a three-toothed smile up at the girl.

While Tri-Nah cleaned and dressed the baby in dry clothing, Obi-Wan had been replacing the unneeded items to the bag and had started rummaging through his pack. "Great. Of all things to lose," he mumbled.

"Hmmm?" Tri-Nah looked up from feeding the baby, who was now quite happy.

"I had a data pad, but it's gone," he grumbled. He held up the card he had found in the baby's bag for Tri-Nah to see. "I was hoping this might explain a few things." He stuffed the card into a pouch on his belt and said, "I guess it will have to wait."

"What should we do about the mother?" Tri-Nah asked, her heart going out to the woman.

"There is nothing we can do. The ground is frozen. We can't bury her. We'll just have to tell the authorities in the village," Obi-Wan reasoned. He looked outside and up at the sky. "We better get moving," he added concerned that they were wasting too much precious daylight. He pushed his pack into the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Tri-Nah wrapped the blanket tightly about the tiny body, then wrapped part of her cloak around the child for added protection. She covered the now sleeping face and followed Obi-Wan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a rough climb, but within an hour and a half they reached the area that they believed to be the site of the attack. They had both hoped to find some sign of a search, but the snowfall had covered every track.

Tri-Nah's arms were aching. She pushed the Force down into her arms, easing the pain and renewing the strength in the sore muscles. She never would have guessed that such a small being could get so heavy. She could have used the Force to support some of the baby's weight, but was afraid that a slip in her concentration would cause the baby to fall. It was tempting to ask Obi-Wan to take her for a little while. He had offered earlier, but Tri-Nah had refused. It seemed weak and besides, she was reluctant to let go of the precious bundle.

Obi-Wan turned toward her. "Are you all right? My offer still stands. I can take her for a while."

Tri-Nah nodded her black head, indicating she was fine. She took a few steps forward but was stopped by Obi-Wan's shout.

"Stop!"

She froze. Horror nearly overwhelmed her as Obi-Wan swung his lightsaber toward her. It flew up and around in an arc over her head. Trusting in his three extra years of experience, she did not move a millimeter. She heard a sizzling sound and noticed tiny wisps of steam coming up from the snow at her feet. She looked down to see a rather deadly looking avian, neatly severed in two and lying in the snow.

Tri-Nah felt like an idiot as she looked at him. Obi-Wan had been more in tune with what was going on around them and had sensed the bird's attack. She looked down at the baby who had been startled awake by the sudden action around her, then back up at Obi-Wan. "Well, I guess we both should thank you."

He tried to shrug it off, but Tri-Nah would not let him. She reached out with her free hand, shifting the baby in her left arm, and grabbed his arm before he could turn away. "No, I'm serious. You saved my life...again. Thank you."

Obi-Wan looked down at the pale hand on his arm and covered it with his own before she could pull it away.

She looked up into his eyes as each one took a step closer. Her head cocked to one side as Obi-Wan slipped his other hand around her waist, drawing her closer. Just as their lips met for the first time, something very familiar tugged at both minds. Tri-Nah's eyes blinked open and snapped down toward the baby. In what she would later define as relief, she whispered, "The vision, this is the vision!" She almost laughed at the fear she had caused herself over it.

Obi-Wan's face had turned to puzzlement. It quickly cleared as he realized that she'd had the vision too, and must have been just as reluctant to speak about it as he. He reached out, touched her face, and smiled down at her. He bent to place another kiss on her lips.

Snowflakes began to fall around them, making tiny sparkles in Tri-Nah's black hair. She shivered, not knowing if it was from the cold or the feel of Obi-Wan's lips on her own.

Seconds later, they heard a relieved voice call out, "Tri-Nah! Obi-Wan!" Then, just slightly muted as if the speaker had turned the voice continued, "They're all right."

A great deal of relief, with a bit of frustration mixed in, swept over them at the sound of the familiar voice.

Obi-Wan turned to find himself caught in a rough hug that seemed a tad tighter than it needed to be. What could easily have been a hundred questions flowed from his Master.

"What happened? Where were you? Are you hurt?"

Both teens just looked at the adults, not sure where to start.

Qui-Gon noticed and tried to get the situation under control. "What happened?" he asked.

"It's a long story, Master," Obi-Wan answered.

Lee-Stra finally overcame her turbulent emotions and noticed the bundle Tri-Nah held. "What's this?"

Tri-Nah pulled back her cloak to reveal the chubby beauty in her arms.

Both Masters looked perplexed.

Qui-Gon's quick wit soon took over. "We leave you two alone overnight and this is the result? I know we Jedi are quick, but..."

"Qui-Gon Jinn, knock it off," Lee-Stra reprimanded sharply. She bit her lip in an effort to say no more. She did not find Qui-Gon's attempt at a joke to cover his relief very funny.

Both young faces were bright with embarrassment--more so than they might have been had it not been for the events of the past day and a half.

Although embarrassed, Obi-Wan was attempting to hide a grin, knowing Tri-Nah would give him one of those looks if she noticed. Qui-Gon's twinkling blue eyes were not helping.

Tri-Nah finally overcame her embarrassment and explained how they had come to find the baby. "I'm sure she's Force sensitive. Obi-Wan found a data card in the bag..."

The guide, who had caught up to the two older Jedi, interrupted Tri-Nah. "We must get to the valley. It will soon be dark and I can only assure you that my tribe will not attack. The other hill dwellers might not be so lenient," the man explained, sounding concerned. "That baby is one of theirs, I think, anyway. I heard rumors of an outcast woman giving birth several months ago. We must leave, now." He started down the mountain before the Jedi could respond.

Tri-Nah's mind was a whirl. If the Inlians had no technology, how had the woman come across the data card? Maybe it had nothing to do with the baby. Would the hill dwellers attack them for caring for an outcast's baby? The poor woman had lost her life, in what Tri-Nah was sure had been an effort to bring the baby to the Jedi. Her only explanation for this line of thinking had been the Force. It must have led the woman to the cave. How she might have overcome the dampening field or what ever it was, Tri-Nah did not know.

"Here, let me take her. You look tired," Lee-Stra said as she took the baby from Tri-Nah's arms. She smiled down at the infant and was rewarded with a grin. Now that the babe was in her arms she could feel the Force within the child. She looked up to find the other three staring at her. "Let's go, our guide is deserting us."

"Master, can you feel it?" Tri-Nah asked the question to which they all wanted an answer.

"Yes, Padawan, I can, now move. We need to get the two of you, excuse me, three of you out of this cold weather." Lee-Stra moved down the path in the snow behind the guide. She smiled at each face as she moved away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the group arrived in the village, Qui-Gon inserted the data card into a pad and read the information aloud. "I know this may sound bizarre, but my name is Elise. I am an outcast from the Trian side of the hill dwellers. I do not know what has caused me to become an outcast, but I am. I accept this as readily as the man from the Grosian freighter accepted me. He took me away from this awful place. He loved me, gave me a life, and a daughter. He died in an accident and the freighter captain returned me to Inlian. I did not want to come back here, to the life of an outcast. My daughter, was born shortly after my return, and this has made life for her and me even more difficult.

"I have survived in the hill caves with the supplies the Grosians left me. I know that my daughter is different, special. I know not how, just that she is. I have heard that there are Jedi coming here and that the Trian and Wrian tribes are planning to capture at least one of them in an attempt to gain control of our world. I find this amusing. My people have highly underestimated the Jedi. I have seen them in action during my time with Ritter on the Grosian freighter. They are most impressive. Ritter had always told me that if I ever needed anything to get into contact with a Jedi.

"I now need help. My wee daughter, I feel, needs the Jedi. I have no idea if I am becoming delusional or if my instinct is right. All I can say for sure is that she needs the Jedi. I must find them, hopefully in time to warn them of the trap. If not, then in time for them to help me with my little girl. I am ill and can no longer properly care for her. None of the tribes will take her in, they will let her freeze in the snow. I am setting out to find the Jedi. I am afraid I will not make it, I just hope my baby does. Please, if I do not make it and someone finds this card, honor my last request. Take my baby away from this place, dead or alive. Get her off Inlian. If she is living, then take her to the Jedi, please, I beg you, they will know what to do with her."

Tri-Nah's heart ached as she listened to the words that the mother had written. She had been right; the woman had been trying to find them. _*Your baby is with the Jedi, Elise, and we will take care of her,*_ she thought to the dead woman, alone on the mountain.

All eyes turned to Tri-Nah, still holding the little girl. Tears that the teen had not felt were streaming down her cheeks, spotting the blanket wrapped around the baby.

Tri-Nah looked up and caught Qui-Gon's blue gaze on her. He smiled briefly and turned toward the official who had greeted them upon their arrival on Inlian. "Do you have any objections to our testing the infant?" he asked.

"No, none. You can take her with you. No one here will care for her. Her mother was correct," the man said, not looking the least bit affected by his harsh words. "She would be left to die. We do not interfere with the Wrian or Trian ways. If the woman was an outcast, she is an outcast even here in the valley.

Tri-Nah wanted to point out the inhumane way he spoke, but wisely kept quiet, not wanting to upset the baby. Her anger grew and she could feel Qui-Gon Jinn's eyes on her. She knew he was evaluating her. She dared not look up into those intense blue eyes for fear of the rebuke that he, as a Jedi Master, was entitled to give. Tri-Nah squelched the anger before it had a chance to get any larger and finally turned her violet eyes toward his.

Qui-Gon gazed at Tri-Nah's downcast head for several minutes. He could feel her anger at the man's words. He shared the girl's opinion, but said nothing. He just waited. Waited until he could feel her calm and the teen's eyes turned to look at him.

His face was expressionless as Tri-Nah looked up. She had expected a look of disappointment or worse. Instead, she saw a slight quiver of acceptance and understanding.

While still holding Tri-Nah's attention, Qui-Gon slowly said, "Administrator, I ask that you leave. We will leave Inlian as soon as our ship is ready, with the baby. She will no longer be of concern to anyone on this planet."

Tri-Nah wanted to jump up and hug the Master, but knew it would not be appropriate. She tried to convey her thanks through her eyes.

The administrator rose from his chair, glanced at Tri-Nah and the baby in her arms with disgust, and stomped from the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Qui-Gon gathered what remained of their survival packs. As he did, he caught a pained look cross his apprentice's face in a rare, unguarded moment. . "Let's go," Qui-Gon said to the young man. "You two need some rest and medical attention. And you still have not told us what happened."

Obi-Wan tried to suppress a groan. He did not want to rehash the events in the cave, not even to his Master. It seemed far too personal to be telling others about.

Qui-Gon picked up on Obi-Wan's reluctance when he mentioned the cave. Something had happened and neither of the young people wanted to talk about it yet. He looked at Lee-Stra to see if she too had picked up on it.

Lee-Stra nodded her head ever so slightly toward the Jedi Master. She had sensed a great deal of reluctance and embarrassment from Tri-Nah. She started to eye Obi-Wan suspiciously, but quickly stopped that line of thinking. She knew Obi-Wan too well to think that he would take advantage of Tri-Nah in a vulnerable situation. The young man was too much like his Master. It would be the last thing on his mind.

Tri-Nah looked from one Jedi Master to the other and back again. Something had passed between the two older people. She looked to Obi-Wan, but he was headed out the door and into the falling snow. She followed and tried to ignore the conversation that lay ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once on board the ship, Qui-Gon readied it for take off.

After taking off, he left Lee-Stra to pilot and went in search for Obi-Wan. He found the young man seated in a chair near the medical supplies.

"Let's see," he said, motioning for Obi-Wan to take off his shirt.

Obi-Wan obeyed, resting his forehead in his hands as Qui-Gon inspected the wounds on his back. He felt as if his Master was inspecting more than his physical well-being. Without thought, he put up a strong mental shield. He was entitled to some privacy, after all.

Qui-Gon picked up a few fleeting images from Obi-Wan's mind before the shield had been slammed into place. He had a good idea of what might be keeping the pair quiet. He had been the one to find them, and had seen what he believed to have been a kiss. He smiled, in spite of the fact that Obi-Wan was purposely hiding something from him. A first kiss could be justified as something to hide. He, too, had been guilty of hiding such things from those closest to him.

The Jedi Master tended to the wounds and finally said, "Tri-Nah did a good job, considering the circumstances. You should get some rest, Padawan." Qui-Gon squeezed Obi-Wan's shoulder, hoping to reassure him that no anger or repercussion was to come.

Obi-Wan stood and nodded. "Yes, Master." He made his way toward their cabin, pausing to glance at the closed door of the other cabin. Tri-Nah had not emerged since boarding the ship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Qui-Gon entered the cockpit and lowered his large body into the co-pilot's seat.

Lee-Stra looked questioningly at him.

He knew exactly what she wanted to know. "No, he didn't tell me anything," Qui-Gon said before Lee-Stra had the chance to ask. "He's shielding himself, though. Something marginally serious happened." He noted a look of alarm cross his long-time friend's face. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Lee."

Lee-Stra had imagined some worst-case scenario, but Qui-Gon's reassurance instantly put her mind at ease. She looked over to find the man grinning mysteriously.

He noticed her staring. "I did interrupt what I am certain was..." he began, but he could not finish and ended up chuckling softly instead.

"What?" Lee-Stra asked. "Tell me, what did you interrupt?"

Qui-Gon looked at the woman and grinned again. He had no idea why he found this amusing, or why he was having a hard time telling her. "Well...it looked as if I witnessed Obi-Wan and Tri-Nah..." he hesitated and finally finished with a grin, "sharing a first kiss."

Lee-Stra looked at Qui-Gon in disbelief. After thinking about it for a moment she began to laugh. "You're not serious? In the middle of a life-threatening situation? Are you sure?"

Qui-Gon's greying head nodded.

"And you couldn't get anything out of him?" she asked.

This time his greying head shook.

Lee-Stra rose. "I'd better go check on her."

Qui-Gon caught her hand. "Now don't interrogate the poor girl, Lee."

She looked at the hand holding hers. "What kind of master do you think I am, Qui-Gon Jinn?" she demanded. "She needs medical attention and I have already let it go too long." She tried to pull away.

Qui-Gon smiled up at her and released her hand. He shook his head in wonder. _*Took the boy long enough,*_ Qui-Gon thought to himself. Another grin lit the blue eyes and he suppressed a laugh as he watched Lee-Stra stride away with determination. He almost pitied Tri-Nah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Lee-Stra entered the cabin, she found her apprentice curled up on her bed facing the wall. The baby slept in a makeshift bed made from a drawer Tri-Nah had pulled from a cabinet. Lee-Stra checked on the infant, then sat on the side of Tri-Nah's bed. She could tell that the girl was not asleep. She could also tell that Tri-Nah needed a bit more time to control her thoughts. In order to give her apprentice the necessary time, Lee-Stra did something she had not done in quite some time.

Her graceful hands slowly unbraided the bulk of black hair that Tri-Nah had plaited earlier in the day. Lee-Stra smiled. Tri-Nah had not braided her hair in quite sometime. As she worked on Tri-Nah's hair, she could feel the girl relax. It was then that she saw the mostly healed wound on the girl's neck. "What's this?" Lee-Stra asked in surprise.

Tri-Nah's hand whipped up to cover the wound.

The older woman could tell that the teen needed just a bit more time and called a brush to her hand. She began brushing the long black locks, monitoring the girl's eddying emotions. As Tri-Nah seemed to calm, Lee-Stra deftly rebraided the long Padawan braid behind the girl's ear. It had become a feathery mess during the teen's seemingly harrowing experience.

Finally, Tri-Nah rolled over and asked, "Do you have to know?"

"I'm afraid so, my girl. Either you tell me now or everyone, including the Council, tomorrow." She reached down and touched the pale cheek.

Tri-Nah knew that Lee-Stra spoke the truth. Her Master would know what would not have to be discussed in front of the Council, and could therefore be left out of the reports. But this did not help her to know where to start.

Being the wise Jedi Knight that she was, Lee-Stra could sense the hesitation and stated, "It is always best to start at the beginning."

Tri-Nah sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, her hair covering her back like a cloak. She cleared her throat and began. "When the shooting started, I did what you always taught me. I centered in the Force and deflected as many of the stones as I could. It was hard, Master. They were so small." She paused a moment, and looked to her Master to make sure that Lee-Stra did not think she was complaining.

Lee-Stra rested a hand on the girl's arm and said softly, "You obviously did a good job. If you had not, you would not be here to speak of it. Nor would Obi-Wan. I am proud of you. It was a difficult situation." She squeezed the girl's arm.

Tri-Nah was filled with a sense of confidence, and it helped her carry on. "I could sense Obi-Wan being led away from the rest of us. I couldn't let him fight alone. I ran towards him in time to deflect a shot from his right that was aimed for his head. He got hit in the back at the same time that I got hit. It threw us both off balance and we went tumbling down an embankment." She closed her eyes a moment. "I could hear the men talking and one of them told the others that we would be dead by the time we hit the bottom. When we did finally hit the bottom, Obi-Wan made me purge the poison. Then we found a cave. I had to dig the stones from Obi-Wan's back." She shuddered at the memory and looked away.

"Uh, uh, none of that," Lee-Stra said as she gently grasped Tri-Nah's chin and turned it back towards her. "You know you have to look at me when you're speaking to me."

Tri-Nah knew better than to resist. "Yes, Master."

"Where were you hit, besides here?" she asked, pointing to the teen's neck.

"In the side," Tri-Nah replied quietly.

"May I see?"

Tri-Nah sighed. She had much less of a problem with her Master seeing her than she had with Obi-Wan, but now she would be forced to admit that he had seen. Tri-Nah grimaced. He had not only seen, but had touched as well. She slowly lifted her sleeping gown up and almost over her head. She could not see her teacher's reaction, but could feel and hear it.

Lee-Stra sucked in her breath. Now she knew why neither one of the teens had been willing to discuss what had happened on Inlian. _*Obi-Wan had seen far more of Tri-Nah than any of them was comfortable with,* _the Jedi thought to herself.

In an effort to ease a bit of the tension Lee-Stra said, "Obi-Wan did a good job. He's an admirable healer."

Tri-Nah pulled the gown back down with a shiver. She was hoping that enough had been told, but could tell by the look in Lee-Stra's brown eyes that it was not. "Well, I, ummm...I slept and so did he. I tried to clean up..."

"I'm sure you were worried about Obi-Wan seeing," Lee-Stra said knowingly.

Tri-Nah chose to ignore the comment, not really sure why her Master had made it in the first place. Obi-Wan had seen plenty as it was. "For some reason we had both missed the stone in my neck and it had become infected. He pulled it out and tried to help in the healing process," Tri-Nah continued, deftly avoiding the part about the dream and walking in on Obi-Wan dressing. "I found some berries while Obi-Wan tried to get cleaned up." She fought a blush that was threatening to overcome her.

Lee-Stra knew that there were things being left out, but did not press the girl. She knew that whatever had transpired between the two, it would eventually make itself known. She again indicated that Tri-Nah continue.

"We decided to leave once the sun was up, and while we were eating, I heard something. We went outside and found the baby and her mother. It was awful, Master. The poor woman took her last breath while we stood there, unable to do anything but watch. We tried to help her, but..." Tri-Nah could not continue.

"What about the bird we saw? Did you find it dead too?" Lee-Stra asked in hopes of taking the girl's attention from the death and her feelings of helplessness.

The pale cheeks did flush this time. "Obi-Wan saved my life, *again.* I was tired and my arms were aching from carrying the baby and I guess he sensed it coming and killed it as it swooped down at me. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," she added, her voice full of apology.

The older Jedi gave her apprentice a reassuring look. "And?"

"And then you found us," Tri-Nah finished, avoiding her Master's unwavering gaze. She had the feeling that this was not going to be the end. Both Lee-Stra and Qui-Gon had been close enough to counteract most of the dampening field's effect and had probably picked up on what had happened. Plus, she was sure that Qui-Gon, at least, had to have seen how close the pair had been standing.

Lee-Stra's black eyebrows raised in an unspoken question. She was determined to have a real talk with her apprentice over what had really been happening between Tri-Nah and Obi-Wan, no matter how much her hapless Padawan tried to resist.

Tri-Nah knew that she shouldn't look away from her Master again. It was not right. But she could not say what she had to say while looking into the older woman's critical brown eyes. They would see too much. Just above a whisper Tri-Nah finally said, "He kissed me."

Lee-Stra let the eye contact slide, knowing it was too much for the teen at the moment. She also knew that Tri-Nah was half-afraid that she and Obi-Wan would be in some kind of trouble. She again turned the pretty young face toward her own. "It's okay, Padawan," Lee-Stra said, even though the idea that her beautiful Tri-Nah was growing up enough to be kissing young men was far from okay. "But let me give you a little bit of advice. Don't be swept up in the moment. He saved your life. That, in itself, is a very emotional thing. It may have caused the two of you to do something that you didn't mean." 

The touch of Lee-Stra's hand on Tri-Nah's soft cheek carried with it the sense that there were feelings far deeper than Lee-Stra had first guessed. She almost winced as she recognized some of those intense, teenage emotions, which she herself had experienced so many years ago. "I'm sorry, my girl," Lee-Stra apologized. She now came to know that Tri-Nah's feelings for Obi-Wan Kenobi had been there for quite sometime. It was not a huge surprise, but was still something Lee-Stra, had, so far, tried to ignore. Those feelings had been hidden and ignored by the teen as well. But now, with the unspoken truce and the events of the last two days, their feelings had been solidified.

Lee-Stra rose from the girl's bed. "You still need to use caution. Things can... well, get out of hand." Her heartbeat picked up as the memory of how she had woken this morning on Inlian flashed though her mind.

Tri-Nah's violet eyes looked up at her Master quizzically.

Lee-Stra sighed heavily--more heavily than Tri-Nah remembered ever hearing from the woman. "I guess it is time you knew," Lee-Stra said in an emotionless voice. "I waited too long as it is." She sat on the side of her own bed and looked across the short expanse of the room to the beautiful young woman who, it seemed, was growing up far too fast. "I fell in love once. Madly, deeply, passionately in love. I did not heed Master Yoda's warnings. I let it lead me. We were sent on a mission together. Things went well, and the mission was over very quickly. We were given the rest of the time to do as we pleased. One thing led to another..." Lee-Stra's strained voice trailed off and she let the statement hang a moment. She wiped a hand across her tired features and then said, "I ended up leaving the Order for nearly two years."

The youth was clearly shocked. "I never knew," she gasped, pausing to let this almost unbelievable image sink in. "Did he love you back?"

"Yes, our feelings were so out of control. Things had been slowly building up between us for years, and once we gave in to our passions, we did not know how to handle it. It consumed both of us, interfered with training and missions. So, I left. I thought if I removed myself from the situation, I could overcome the emotions, center on the Force, regain my control, and return to the Temple. I also hoped that without my presence in his life, he could go on to become the Knight he was meant to be. I went to my family." 

Lee-Stra took a slow breath to calm herself and then continued. "After about a year, I came back. I faced the Council and thought I was doing well... until they brought him into the Council Chamber. I was so overjoyed to see him that I nearly ran to him, forgetting the Council and every ounce of decorum that I had been striving to maintain. They sensed it and sent me away again. I went back after another year and the Council finally felt I was ready to continue with the Order. They allowed me back in. Did you not ever wonder why, at my age, I am still only a Knight?"

Tri-Nah blinked at her Master. She had wondered, but had never questioned the woman about it. One never knew when the Council would choose for a Padawan to face the Trials, or when a Knight would become a Master. Even one of the Council Members was still a Knight.

Tri-Nah rolled this revelation around in her mind, digesting the information that her Master had surprised her with. Then, like a flash of lightning streaking through her, she knew who "he" was.

Lee-Stra rose and took several steps toward the door, thinking that she should leave her Padawan to think of these events and what it might mean for her and Obi-Wan. "You should sleep."

"It was Master Qui-Gon, wasn't it?" Tri-Nah asked quietly.

The Jedi froze in her tracks, then slowly turned to face her apprentice, a stiff yet pained look crossing her features. "Yes Padawan, it was," she whispered. Lee-Stra turned and took a few more steps.

"You still love him," Tri-Nah said softly, briefly feeling her Master's hidden grief. Her comment was more of a statement of fact than a question.

Lee-Stra did not turn or answer. Her student was very perceptive and she could no longer hide her feelings for Qui-Gon Jinn. She just hoped that history would not repeat itself.

Tri-Nah could feel a sense of relief from her teacher after the admission, but she could also feel Lee-Stra's concern. Her Master did not want her to go through what she had. The teen could not help but wonder if Qui-Gon was still in love with Lee-Stra. For her Master's sake, she hoped so. She thought about the revelation for a moment longer. The two elder Jedi seemed to be dealing with their past quite well. When they had been together, she had never suspected that they'd ever had feelings for on another. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart that they were not together as Tri-Nah felt they should be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After getting some rest, Obi-Wan came out of the cabin and found Tri-Nah sitting with the baby held in her arms. She was feeding the dark-skinned child and seemed completely at peace.

"Hi," he said when Tri-Nah looked up and saw him staring at her.

"Sleep well?" Tri-Nah asked uncertainly. She had no idea what to say to him. She hadn't even been able to look him in the eye ever since he had kissed her. Her heart skipped a beat at the memory.

Obi-Wan merely shrugged a shoulder. He had not slept well, but he didn't want to discuss the reasons why with her. Not wanting to lie to Tri-Nah, he avoided answering the question. He folded his arms across his chest as he watched her. Tri-Nah looked totally natural with the baby. _*What in the... What am I thinking?*_ he scolded himself, alarmed by the unexpected thought. He cleared his throat.

"Isn't she adorable, Obi-Wan?" Tri-Nah asked, gently smiling down at the baby.

Obi-Wan stared at her for a minute. "You really shouldn't get too attached to her, you know."

Tri-Nah looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

He unfolded his arms and took a few steps forward. "I mean, if her midi-chlorian count isn't high enough, the Temple will put her up for adoption. You'll never see her again."

Tri-Nah's face scrunched up into a glare that could melt a bulkhead. It had not been something that she had even considered. Why did Obi-Wan have to bring it up? _*He's jealous,*_ she thought, and then quickly dismissed the idea. "How can you think such a thing, Obi-Wan Kenobi?" she said hotly.

He closed his blue eyes in frustration. Just a few short hours ago she had let him kiss her, and now she was glaring at him as if she wished he didn't exist. _*I did it again. What ever "it" is,* _Obi-Wan thought. He had hoped that with their new understanding, he would never be a victim of one of her venomous looks again. He had only said it because he did not want to see her hurt in the event that she lost contact with the child. Words failed him and he could only stare at her, hoping she would sense that he had not meant to make her mad. For once, her anger failed to amuse him. It hurt him. He turned from the purple glare, retreating to the relative safety of the cockpit and his Master's side.

Tri-Nah knew that Obi-Wan could be right. Just because she had not thought it possible, did not make it so. Her anger quickly subsided, but still, she could not fathom giving up the baby. Even if the child stayed in the Temple, there was no guarantee that Tri-Nah would see her often. She quickly came to grips with the possibility of life without the pointy-eared little girl. _*It will be the will of the Force.*_ she told herself. She wanted to follow Obi-Wan, but the baby was not finished with her bottle yet. Tri-Nah sighed. She'd have to apologize later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few moments later, Lee-Stra entered the common area of the ship. She could not hold back a smile at the sight of her Padawan and the baby. An empty bottle sat on the table before them. Tri-Nah was holding the little girl close and patting her back in an effort to coax a burp from her. Lee-Stra tried not to laugh as she recalled how Tri-Nah had always complained when her shift in the Jedi nursery came round. It was her least favorite of the duties that all students were required to fulfill while living at the Temple. The girl much preferred to work in one of the many gardens than tending to the infants.

"What a good girl you are. Yes you are." Tri-Nah cooed at the dark-skinned baby. She was rewarded with a giggle from the baby and a stream of baby-gibberish that only the tiny girl could understand.

Qui-Gon had come out of the cockpit to witness the little scene. He too could not help but smile. The baby seemed quite content to spend her time with Tri-Nah. It reminded him of a time nineteen years earlier when Obi-Wan's mother had placed the four-month-old boy in his arms. The tiny boy's baby chatter had stopped and his blue eyes had locked onto his own. There was something very familiar going on between this pair now. "Now that we are free of the dampening field, I think it's about time we test her midi-chlorian count," he suggested.

Lee-Stra took the few steps over to Tri-Nah and lifted the baby from the girl's lap.

Tri-Nah's head cocked to one side as her Master moved away. Her forehead wrinkled slightly in wonder as an odd sense of loss gripped her heart.

Qui-Gon stood just outside the cockpit, eyes locked on Tri-Nah. One eyebrow raised as he witnessed the look and sensed the girl's emotions.

A sudden whimper drew Tri-Nah's attention from her own feelings. She looked over and saw that Lee-Stra was trying to comfort the baby after taking a sample of blood from the tiny arm. Tears began to form in the violet eyes.

Lee-Stra broke the silence. "It is significant," she said, referring to the count. She then turned to Qui-Gon and said, "We have a potential Jedi here all right."

Qui-Gon nodded. He had suspected that Tri-Nah's initial assumption was correct and the count did not surprise him. His eyes were still locked on the teen as Lee-Stra returned the baby to her self-appointed caretaker.

Relief swept over Tri-Nah as soon as the baby was back in her arms. This puzzled her. She held the baby at arm's length and then moved her closer. It had no effect, except that the babe thought it was a game and began giggling. Tri-Nah joined the infant's with her own laughter. She was not sure, though, if she were laughing at her own silliness or the baby's delight.

Lee-Stra picked up on a bit of what was going on in her student's mind and Qui-Gon's sense of satisfaction. She turned her questioning brown eyes on him.

Before he could respond to the unasked question, Tri-Nah rose and headed toward the cabin she shared with her Master.

Lee-Stra moved to follow, but was stopped by Qui-Gon's long arm.

"Leave them. I think I know what she is going through," he calmly stated.

The woman looked up into the Jedi Master's face. Belatedly, she realized what he meant and said, "She's too young, it can't be."

"The Force knows no such thing as age. You know that Lee. There is a connection there. You cannot deny it."

Lee-Stra did want to deny it, but she was not sure why. She stared at the closed cabin door for several minutes, unaware that Qui-Gon's hand had moved up to her shoulder. She had also not known how close they stood until she finally ripped her eyes from the door. Her eyes landed on the intense blue ones staring back at her. Uncomfortably, she realized that Qui-Gon's eyes were filled with something she did not want to identify. She tried to take a step away from the man.

If someone had asked Qui-Gon what he was feeling at that moment, he would have been unable to answer. It was a rare occurrence for him. He hadn't even been aware that he had been holding Lee-Stra's shoulder until she had tried to move away. He moved his hand up and behind her neck to keep her from taking the step away from him. He slowly bent toward her--too slowly.

Obi-Wan emerged from the cockpit in search of food. He stopped dead at the sight before him. With a half-hidden smile, he took the long way around the common area to the cooler. He did not know what he had interrupted, but it was too late to worry about it. His growling stomach took precedence. _*Besides,*_ he thought ruefully, _*they've interrupted me before.*_

Lee-Stra fled to her cabin, her face red and her heart racing. She was not sure she was ready to deal with her feelings toward Qui-Gon Jinn. He had been unwilling to discuss anything after they had awoken on Inlian, which had been fine with her. But now, he had been ready to make it an issue again, or so it had seemed. He had been about to kiss her, hadn't he? _*I don't want to think about it,*_ she told herself sternly.

She did not know whether to be frustrated with Obi-Wan, or grateful to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part II

Life had gone on with few changes for Tri-Nah Wynne. Training continued to go well, and she now enjoyed her time in the Jedi nursery. Tri-Nah had been honored with naming the Inlian baby, and she'd chosen Dawn Elise Ritter. Dawn was growing and becoming quite strong and Tri-Nah delighted in the smile that came across the nine-month-old girl's face whenever Tri-Nah entered the nursery.

"Why Dawn Elise?" one of Tri-Nah's friends had asked her after she had given her report of the events to the Jedi Council.

"We found her at dawn, her mother's name was Elise, and her father's was Ritter," Tri-Nah had answered. "It just seemed to fit."

Now, with her frequent visits to the nursery and the ever-growing bond she sensed between herself and the child, she began wondering about her own parents. Who were they? Were they still alive? Where did they live? Where was she born? These questions were all foreign to the sixteen-year-old. She had never wanted to know about her family, as it had seemed unimportant to her. She had always had her Master, who had basically been her mother since the age of six. It was enough for Tri-Nah, or at least, it had been enough in the past. Even when all of her friends had met their real parents, it had not affected her.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had come back with a glowing report about his parents and brother. It had been a struggle at the time, but he was glad to have met them and to have gotten a sense of who he was. The meeting had solidified his determination to become a Knight.

One of their friends had not come back though. He had decided to stay with his family. That decision, coming from someone whom Tri-Nah had always expected to be a great Knight, had shaken Tri-Nah more than she wanted to admit. She did not want to face that decision, in case her own family would lead her away from the Temple, the Jedi, and her Master whom she loved so much. Thankfully for her, the Council had not yet felt it time for her to meet her birth family. Up until recently, this had not bothered her. Now, however, she felt it was time and was chafing over whether or not the Council would ever bring it up with her Master.

With difficulty, Tri-Nah tried to push these thoughts from her head and turned her attention to her other duties. She was just finishing off the end of her shift in the Jedi nursery, and was hoping to spend the last few minutes with her favourite baby, Dawn Elise. 

Tri-Nah picked the baby up and spoke to the little one of her love for the child, and her pride in the little girl's growth. Dawn Elise did not understand, but she did enjoy the sound of Tri-Nah's voice and began playing with the end of the braid hanging over the girl's shoulder.

Soon, Tri-Nah's soft voice lulled the baby to sleep. Tri-Nah gently placed the child in her crib, and then quietly crept out of the nursery, careful not to wake Dawn Elise. The thoughts of family entered her mind once again as she left the nursery. Lee-Stra and Dawn were the closest thing to a family that she had. Granted, the entire Jedi Order considered themselves a family of sorts, but something was lacking from this clan of Jedi.

Tri-Nah looked at her slightly distorted reflection in the shiny metal wall of the lift. She had rarely paid much attention to her appearance, but now it suddenly seemed important. _*Where did these violet eyes come from?* _she wondered, straightening slightly. _*Why am I nearly as tall as Obi-Wan?*_ Her mind went on and on until the lift stopped.

*When might be the right time to meet the people who had given her life?* The answer was all too apparent. _*As soon as possible_.* Tri-Nah knew it would shock everyone that she finally wanted to know. She suspected that they had all given up on her ever asking about her origins. 

Tri-Nah entered her quarters and stopped to stare at her Master, bent thoughtfully over a report that she was composing for the Council. It was now or never.

"Master," Tri-Nah started, "how... where... I mean..."

Lee-Stra Enoch turned her brown eyes toward her student. It didn't take much for her to notice that something was up. She hoped it was not yet another question about young Kenobi. There had been little said since their conversation on the way back to Coruscant from Inlian. It had seemed as if the relationship had cooled as fast as it had flamed. She was sure of one thing, though, it would not be the question she had always dreaded. That question had been answered on Inlian. Obi-Wan had finally kissed Tri-Nah. Now she feared the questions would be far more serious in nature, and Lee-Stra was uncertain that she could answer them. Enoch folded her arms across her chest and looked questioningly at her apprentice.

Tri-Nah turned away from the brown gaze and said, "I want to know about my...my family. My parents." Belatedly she remembered that Lee-Stra hated it when she did not keep eye contact and turned toward her. The woman's pale face and haunted expression made her wish she hadn't looked.

To her credit, Lee-Stra recovered quickly. "All right. I'll speak to the Council about it. Be ready to leave as soon as possible, in case they grant your request," the Jedi stated slowly, without emotion. She left the room on shaky legs, thanking the Force, all the while, that she had been able to remain upright.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Council had quickly approved Tri-Nah's request to learn about her family. They were glad to see that the girl was showing an interest and had been considering sending Tri-Nah on the quest soon anyway. It was a relief to the Council members that it had become a voluntary assignment instead of an ordered one. The personal history of some of the Jedi children was difficult, and the Council felt the need to tread lightly in these situations, letting things progress slowly according to the will of the Force.

By that evening they were on their way to a planet called Balastraad. Things were a little tense on the ship, and Tri-Nah had been told that Lee-Stra could do little once they reached the planet. It was up to Tri-Nah to track down her family, get to know them, and make a decision about her future. Lee-Stra would have to wait for this decision and accept it, whether or not she agreed with it, and without influencing Tri-Nah.

"I can only tell you this," Lee-Stra said softly, lifting Tri-Nah's delicate chin. Tri-Nah could have sworn she heard a quiver in her Master's voice. "We will be staying with my family. I cannot interfere. This is a test for you. Detection skills and all that," Lee-Stra added off-handedly waving her hand in an effort to distract herself.. "I am sure you will do well."

The older woman paused as if realizing how cold that sounded. Tri-Nah looked so utterly bewildered and innocent at that moment. She moved a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Tri-Nah's ear and then tugged on the girl's braid.

"Padawan, you may not like what you find," Lee-Stra explained. "I only ask that you give yourself some time and do what your heart tells you."

Tri-Nah felt alarmed by her Master's words. She wanted to ask so many questions, but her mentor had turned away. Tri-Nah had never felt so abandoned. Was Lee-Stra worried that she would want to stay with her family? So worried that she was already trying to turn her against them? Or was it that she was distancing herself, just in case? 

She tried to ignore the questions nagging at her mind. Lee-Stra had turned over the controls of the ship and expected a flawless landing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Lee-Stra Enoch stepped out of the small ship, five people, all talking and hugging at the same time engulfed her.

Tri-Nah hung back, remaining on the ramp, and watching the happy little scene before her. She couldn't help but wonder if she too would have a welcome home like this one, some day.

The oldest member of the group, an aging woman with grey-streaked black hair, looked over the group and at the girl standing on the ramp. She whispered something to Lee-Stra that Tri-Nah could not hear.

Lee-Stra waved for Tri-Nah to come down the ramp. "Tri-Nah this is my family," she said to the girl. "Mother," Lee-Stra added, turning to the older woman, "this is my Padawan Learner, Tri-Nah Wynne." Lee-Stra waited for a moment as the older woman smiled warmly at Tri-Nah. Then she continued her introductions. "Tri-Nah this is my mother, Maddie Devoor, my sister Danae Ferot, and Danae's children, Devin, Lily, and Rose." Quietly, Tri-Nah evaluated the group. The children were all teenagers, and it looked to Tri-Nah that they ranged in age from about nineteen to fourteen years. The adults and the children all seemed pleased to meet her, but Tri-Nah couldn't help sensing a bit of reservation from them.

Tri-Nah was welcomed by the small group and together they made their way to two speeders. The adults took the first one and the teens took the second. The three children chattered on, seeming to lose every bit of their former reservation. They pelted her with questions about her life as a Jedi on the way to their home.

Lily leaned over and said, "You'll be staying in the room between mine and Rose's." Tri-Nah smiled hesitantly at her. Lily looked like her mother, with her blond hair and two well placed dimples in her round cheeks. The girl was extremely bubbly and outgoing, and Tri-Nah was sure she would like her once things settled down.

"Yeah, and there are doors that connect to each one," Rose said excitedly. Tri-Nah grinned at the youngest of the three children. She had a feeling that it didn't take much to get Rose excited, and that the girl had a zest for life.

The speeder came to a halt in front of a huge house where the entire family lived. "Father and Grandfather are working and could not come to greet you. You'll meet them at dinner," Devin announced as he pulled Tri-Nah's bag from the speeder.

The girls ushered Tri-Nah up to a room on the second floor, interrogating her further on the life of a Jedi. They were quite impressed to meet someone their age who, like their "Aunt Lee," was a member of the fascinating Jedi Order. It sounded almost amusing to hear Lee-Stra called "Aunt Lee," but Tri-Nah did not think much of it. She was used to hearing Qui-Gon Jinn call her Master, "Lee" all the time.

The teenagers were soon called down to dinner, where Tri-Nah was introduced to two males. One, a burly man with brown hair and brown eyes, was Lee-Stra's father, Ondar Devoor. The other man, a bit smaller than Ondar with red hair and blazing green eyes, was her brother-in-law, Picard Ferot.

"What brings you home, daughter?" Ondar asked, as soon as the meal had been placed on the table.

Hesitantly, Lee-Stra answered, "It has come time for Tri-Nah to meet her family. It is a test of her skills for her to find them, and once her search is complete, a choice about her future is to be made."

Maddie Devoor visibly paled, her violet eyes even seeming to turn lavender.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Danae tried to keep the conversation going by asking her children about their day, and by prodding them to tell Tri-Nah about their plans for the weekend. Devin was the first to comply and with his sisters, he managed to keep a light-hearted stream of conversation going throughout the rest of the meal.

After the meal, Lee-Stra excused herself and Tri-Nah and took her student outside to a park across the street.

"Here is where you started your life, before you were taken to the Temple. The rest is up to you. You must find your own way," Lee-Stra said. "You are free to spend time with my nephew and nieces. I would like it if you enjoyed yourself while you are here. But always keep in mind that you are here to find your family. Heed the moment, and listen to the Force."

Tri-Nah glanced around her, assuming that Lee-Stra literally meant that she had found her here in this park. Questions filled her mind, but knew it would be useless to ask them. The Knight had made it quite clear that she would be of no help. Tri-Nah had no idea where to begin or even what to look for. She asked to be left alone.

After her Master disappeared into the large house, Tri-Nah walked around the park, reaching out with the Force. She felt nothing. The Force was giving her no sign about the park. Finally, in frustration, she gave up. It was getting late and she was tired after the long trip to Balastraad. She made her way back to the house and to her room, where she could rest and try to decide on what her next step would be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following day, the Ferot children took her to the river. They had a wonderful day, and Tri-Nah very much enjoyed being a teenager with little responsibility, even if it was just for one day.

The small group took a picnic lunch and found a shady spot where they laughed and chatted, getting to know one another. Tri-Nah didn't bother to ask them about herself. Devin had only been three, Lily about one, and Rose had not even been a glitter in their parents' eyes when Tri-Nah had been born, so they would know nothing about what had happened when their aunt had found her.

"You said yesterday that it was hard sometimes... being a Jedi, I mean," Devin said, as they relaxed in the shade, watching the sun sparkle off the shimmering surface of the river. "What did you mean by that?"

Tri-Nah thought for a moment, wondering how much she should tell. "Well, training is difficult. Long hard hours are put in on honing your skills. We don't really have a home. I mean, we live on Coruscant, but we are so rarely there that I'm not sure it counts."

Sadness touched Lily's eyes. "What about friends? Don't you have them?"

"Yes, but it seems the older I get the less I see them," Tri-Nah replied softly, thinking suddenly about Obi-Wan and how their friendship had come to mean so much to her. She quickly pushed him from her mind. Now was not the time to get into *those* kind of thoughts about the arrogant, young would-be Knight. 

Rose looked at her, overwhelmed by curiosity. "What do you do when you are with your friends?"

Tri-Nah's face turned thoughtful again, still unsure how to answer the question. "I guess the same thing we are doing now. We talk... laugh... it sounds odd to say this, but the real answer is that I really don't know. We train together, but when you are with friends even training isn't so difficult. Sometimes it can be quite funny," Tri-Nah added as an afterthought. She was thinking of the time she and Obi-Wan had been in a mock duel and she had scuffed his new boots. A mischievous grin touched her lips.

Lily noticed the amusement. "Oh, please tell us," she begged.

Tri-Nah complied and they all laughed over the tale.

Lily, ever-observant saw the tiny flicker of light in Tri-Nah's violet eyes every time she mentioned the name Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Is this Obi-Wan person special?" she asked nonchalantly, already knowing that he was.

"Obi-Wan? Special?" Tri-Nah tried to laugh. "Definitely not! He's just a friend."

Rose, having just discovered that boys could be quite a bit more than "just a friend," asked in a wistful voice, "Is he handsome?"

"Oh, please, Rosie, don't get started on boys," Devin groaned. "I don't want to listen to my baby sister mooning over the opposite sex. It's just not natural!" 

Rose stuck her tongue out at her older brother, missing the blush that Tri-Nah could not prevent from creeping into her pale cheeks. Lily, on the other hand, had not missed it.

"Kenobi, handsome?" Tri-Nah laughed nervously, hoping that referring to him by his last name would help her discuss him in a less intimate manner. How she, as a Jedi, could so badly lose control of the conversation was beyond her. "I guess you could say so," she finally conceded, trying to sound non-committal.

Lily looped her arm in Tri-Nah's and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "And you just did."

Again, Tri-Nah lost the battle of keeping the flush out of her cheeks. Thankfully for her, one of the teens' friends had pulled up on a tiny speeder bike, which kept things from getting any further out of control.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Tri-Nah wandered about the house. The Ferot children were in school, and the adults were too busy to spend time with her.

As she passed through the family room, Tri-Nah was drawn to a picture on the mantel. The picture was of a baby with black hair. She smiled, thinking the baby must have been Lee-Stra. She replaced it on the mantel and sat down facing the fireplace. She tried to concentrate on what she should be doing to find her family. Several possibilities passed through her mind, but she could not keep her eyes, or her mind, off the picture of the baby.

Finally, with a bit of frustration at her lack of concentration, she plucked the picture off the mantel. She flipped it over to find a tiny data screen, and she scrolled through the information stored there. Tri-Nah flipped the picture back over and stared at the baby. Something was not right. With a strange tingling down the back of her neck, she again scrolled through the data. The name of the baby was listed as "Callah Genet," and it displayed a date of birth.

"No, that can't be right," she said to herself. "That date is my birthday." She stared at the picture again, feeling the tingle travel from the back of her neck to deep in her belly. Uneasily she, noted that the baby did not have brown eyes, but had violet ones. Tri-Nah's brain refused to put the pieces together. _*Maybe it's Maddie Devoor,*_ she thought.

Lee-Stra entered the room, and with a gasp froze to her spot.

Tri-Nah's head snapped up. "Master, what was your birth name?"

The woman's brown eyes blinked. "Lela Renee Devoor," she slowly answered.

"And your birthday?" Tri-Nah prodded emotionlessly.

"You know that, Padawan," Lee-Stra replied, trying desperately to skirt around her apprentice's questions.

"Humor me," Tri-Nah said wearily. Her head was beginning to hurt.

Lee-Stra rattled off the date, a date that did not correspond with the picture's.

The teen's eyes went back to the picture, and she almost couldn't bring herself to ask, "Then who is Callah Genet?"

"I can't answer that," Enoch said flatly.

Maddie Devoor entered the room, looking for her daughter. "I thought you were coming right..." she stopped as she noticed Tri-Nah holding the picture. "Oh, Lee, I'm so sorry, I..."

"Mother," Lee-Stra snapped before the older woman could say anything else.

Tri-Nah's gaze drifted from one woman to the other. "Her eyes locked with Maddie's, and Tri-Nah couldn't help but marvel over how similar Maddie's eyes were to her own. With a start, she wondered if it could possibly mean that Maddie Devoor was her mother. _*Could the baby in the picture be me?* _she wondered with a shock. Then, like running into a durasteel wall, it all fell into place. Tri-Nah staggered under the truth, her hand shaking so badly that she lost her grip on the photo.

Unnoticed by either Jedi, Maddie slowly backed out of the room.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Tri-Nah asked.

"I can't tell you that," Lee-Stra tiredly answered.

With a voice full of anger, Tri-Nah snapped, "Can't or won't? Stop hiding behind Jedi do's and don'ts, Ma..." she stopped suddenly, unable to use the title. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"You know as well as I do. Students aren't told of their past until the Council says the time is right. You never asked, and the Council never brought it up." Pleadingly, she went on, "Please, don't be angry. It is not my fault."

Tri-Nah turned away. "You're my mother?" she whispered to herself, still not quite able to believe it. Then, turning towards her Master, she shouted the words as a statement.

Lee-Stra simply looked down at her boots and nodded.

"Who's my father?" Tri-Nah demanded, trying desperately to calm her tone down.

The woman refused to answer the question. "You have to figure that out yourself, my girl," Lee-Stra replied brokenly, the last two words sounding like a plea for them to still be true.

Tri-Nah brushed past the Jedi and ran out the front door, unable to face the truth, or the pain she knew she had caused by shouting at Lee-Stra.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah had been gone for hours and the entire family was getting concerned. They all left the large house to look for her, leaving a protocol droid in charge of contacting them if she returned.

The sixteen-year-old watched as the family, which she now knew was her own, split up and disappeared in different directions. She had climbed to the roof of the house, masking her Force signature from her Master. Spending some time thinking in the open air had calmed her anger toward the woman. A tiny bit of it remained, although she was unsure of the source of this anger.

Slowly, she climbed down from the roof and entered the house. She was immediately confronted by the droid. Deactivating it with little effort, she shoved it into a closet on the first floor of the house.

Systematically, she searched the first floor of the house for any information concerning her birth. Although she was now certain of her mother's identity, she still had yet to uncover her father and she hunted painstakingly for anything that would verify her parentage. After finding no results she carried out the same search on the second floor. Again, she got nowhere. Finally she entered the attic, pulling the ladder up behind her so that if anyone were to return, they would not know that she was in the house.

Tri-Nah's rummaging around the dusty area finally uncovered a trunk. She used the Force to open the lock and lifted the lid. Inside, she found Lee-Stra's things. Pictures, a hospital bracelet, a blood test card, and birth certificate were under a few other baby items. Tri-Nah looked over the items and dug through them, until she hit what she thought was the bottom of the trunk.

Feeling a bit frustrated at her lack of success, she kicked at the trunk. The resulting thud sounded odd, and Tri-Nah frowned as she tapped it again. "A false bottom," she whispered. She managed to get the cover off and was rewarded with more baby items. There were pictures of the same baby from the mantel, and another blood test card.

The card read, "Callah's blood test," and gave a midi-chlorian count higher than the one on Lee-Stra's card. Tri-Nah lifted a soft blanket from the hidden compartment. Two items dropped out of the blanket: a piece of paper and a hospital bracelet. Squinting in the dimly lit attic, she examined the tiny bracelet. Printed on it in black letters were the words, "Baby girl Jinn." Tri-Nah's heart felt as if it had dropped to her stomach. She snatched up the paper. Stamped boldly across the top were the words, "Birth Certificate" Her hand was shaking so badly she could barely read the words on the paper. It read, "Girl, Jinn, Callah Genet, Mother, Devoor, Lela Renee, Father, Jinn, Qui-Gon"

Tri-Nah dropped the paper as if it had scorched her, staring at it in numb shock as the words penetrated her hazy consciousness. A brief moment later, she snatched it back up and reread the words, just in case they might have changed since she last looked at them. She examined the thing as if she was trying to find a loophole out of the official stamp and signatures of her mother and the doctor who had delivered her. The blank line for the father's signature stared up at her, speaking volumes.

"Oh, my stars and galaxies!" Tri-Nah exclaimed. "He doesn't know."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah did not know how long she sat there staring at the birth certificate. People had come and gone from the house, but she had ignored all the chatter. It had been centered on finding her anyway, and for the moment, she wished to rot away in this musty attic. She was not sure she could face anyone, not with this kind of news.

She finally stood, not really knowing what she should do. Lee-Stra Enoch and Qui-Gon Jinn were her parents. A cracked mirror leaned against a wall to her right. She looked at herself, critically examining her features in a way that she'd never done before.

Tri-Nah turned away in disgust, but then could not help looking back again. There had to be some sign, some feature she had missed that should have given the whole sordid secret away. Trying to conjure up a mental picture of Qui-Gon, she compared herself to the Jedi Master. Her eyes were a different color, but maybe they were shaped the same. Her hair was also a different color. "Well, my nose is definitely not his," she told her reflection, running a finger over the petite appendage. No, she didn't have any obvious features that made her look like Qui-Gon, but she did resemble Lee-Stra Enoch. She ran her hands down her lean sides. She was built much like Lee-Stra, only taller. She did, however, share parts of Qui-Gon's temperament, including his affinity for the Living Side of the Force. All in all, she was a combination of the two elder Jedi, and traits from both of them had been passed on to their daughter. _*Their daughter_.* The thought ran through Tri-Nah like a jolt of electricity.

A flicker of her initial anger toward the woman downstairs twisted the girl's stomach. Tri-Nah tried to ignore the emotion. She did love Lee-Stra, her Master, but could she forgive her and love her as a mother? How could she love a mother who had abandoned her? "Abandoned?" she asked herself. "Yes, abandoned. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but abandoned nonetheless."

Abandonment was the only description Tri-Nah could come up with to explain her feelings. Even though Lee-Stra Enoch had been a part of her life, she had emotionally abandoned her daughter. She had removed herself from being the girl's mother, clinging to Jedi tradition and rules. She had lied, not only to Tri-Nah, but to Qui-Gon Jinn as well. The man had no idea that he had fathered a daughter sixteen years ago. Even worse, his daughter had been under his nose all along.

Like lightening, another sudden realization hit her.

"I'm the reason she left the Order," she breathed.

Ever so slowly, and as quietly as possible, Tri-Nah pried the only window in the attic open. She soon found herself on the part of the roof that she had hidden on hours earlier. She had to get away from the house in order to reach out to the Force and figure out what her next step was to be. She had already felt Lee-Stra reach out to her several times, trying to find her student. Tri-Nah was tired and couldn't keep masking her Force signature much longer. If she did not put some distance between them, her Master would soon find her asleep on the attic floor.

She ran toward the spaceport, where the small transport that she and Lee-Stra had arrived on two days ago was still resting. It was the only place she could think of to be alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Early the next morning, Tri-Nah Wynne overrode the lock on the Devoor home and stepped inside. She was immediately confronted by E7MG, the silver protocol droid she had deactivated the day before.

"Mistress Wynne, everyone has been looking for you," it said in a prissy voice.

Tri-Nah reached for the droid's vocal port.

"Oh, please don't shut me down again, Mistress..."

Her hand clamped over the port. "I won't if you will shut up, E7. Promise?"

The droid bobbed its head up and down.

Tri-Nah released it and headed for the stairs. She could hear the droid muttering "Oh, my's" as she opened the door to the room she had stayed in.

After packing her things, she turned toward the door to leave.

Lee-Stra Enoch stood in the doorway. She looked as if she had gotten no sleep during the long night, but she was also clearly relieved to see Tri-Nah.

Before the Jedi Knight could say a word, Tri-Nah launched into her rehearsed speech. "I'm leaving. I contacted the Temple and they are sending someone for you." She faltered under the stricken look on the woman's face. "I need some time," she continued, but the rest of her speech flew away from her.

"So, you know," Lee-Stra said sadly.

"Know what?" Tri-Nah said bitterly, a bit of the anger she had felt the day before returning. "That you are my mother? Yes, ma'am, I know that. That Master Qui-Gon is my father? Yes, I know that too. That I'm the reason you left? Pretty sure of that one. But what I don't know is why." Tri-Nah turned away then said, "I haven't a clue why you would lie to me, let alone why you would lie to a man that you loved, one that loved..." she stopped and spun back to face the brown eyes. "No, strike that, not loved. Loves. A man that loves you," she added wondrously, certain that it was true.

Tri-Nah was as shocked over that revelation as Lee-Stra was. She had no idea why she had said the words, or where the truth of them had come from. She did not recall Qui-Gon ever having said them. If Lee-Stra could have gotten any paler, she would have become translucent. Tri-Nah had unwittingly put into words what Qui-Gon had been thinking on Inlian when he had awakened with her in his arms. She opened her mouth to speak, but could not put her thoughts into words.

Finally, after staring at each other for several seconds, Lee-Stra said in a shaky voice, "I never lied. Not to you and not to Qui-Gon. I just never handed out the information. No one asked." She swallowed, gaining some control over her rampaging emotions. "I was bound by the Code," she added, taking a step forward. "Tri-Nah, please, sit down."

"No," Tri-Nah replied, wishing she were seven again and was allowed to stomp her foot in defiance. "Explain."

The elder woman, looking older than her fifty-three years, ran a hand through her slightly greying black hair. "Think about it Tri-Nah, if I had told Qui-Gon, he would have done something foolish."

The teen took a moment to think. The Knight was right. The noble Qui-Gon Jinn, out of his own sense of honor, would have left the Order, married Lee-Stra, and none of them would be Jedi. But would that be such a bad thing? Without a doubt, Tri-Nah knew it would. Outside of the Jedi Order, not one of them would be who they were supposed to be.

Forced to realize that she loved her life, Tri-Nah could not help but think of the things that she would not know if Lee-Stra had done things differently. She'd never know the fulfillment of becoming a Knight, the deep respect for life, or the desire to help others. There would be no Obi-Wan Kenobi to tease, be angry with, and love from afar. Her admiration of Qui-Gon Jinn, which she now knew had always bordered on something more intense, would be different, and so would the love that she held for her Master. Even now, in her anger toward the woman's actions, Tri-Nah could not deny or ignore that love.

But was she ready to love both of these adults as her parents? Tri-Nah could not answer that question, which was why she needed time to think, and find peace.

Tri-Nah, no longer able to think clearly, straightened her shoulders. "I have to go. I need time."

"Tri-Nah..." Lee-Stra started.

"No, Master, I don't hate you, and yes, I will continue my training. I will be a Knight." she said, answering the unasked questions floating between them. Then, she ran down the stairs and from the house without looking back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lee-Stra took hope from Tri-Nah's last words. She clung to them, having nothing else at the moment. The Council had warned her ten years earlier that this could happen; that she could lose not only her apprentice, but her daughter as well, once the truth was known.

Her heart ached. So many times she had wanted to tell the girl, but she had resisted the temptation. She had already gone against the Code once, and she had been unable to do so again. She had feared dismissal from the Council if she had told her daughter the truth, and so she had kept her mouth shut. If she were cast out by the Jedi, then she would have lost her apprentice/daughter, her chance to become a Jedi Master, and any possible role in Qui-Gon Jinn's life, even if that role could be nothing more than friendship.

She had carried her heavy secret all these years, and yet there was still the possibility that she had just lost her Padawan. The idea of losing Tri-Nah scared her even more than Qui-Gon Jinn's reaction to having a daughter. Her fear spurred her into action. She could not wait for the Jedi to come to Balastraad to pick her up. She had to find transport of her own. She had to be there when the man found out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah pushed the small transport as hard as she dared without blowing the hyperdrive to pieces. She desperately wanted to get back to Coruscant.

A deep-seated fear of seeing Qui-Gon Jinn lurched up inside her. How was she to treat the man? What would he think? Would he be angry at Lee-Stra? How could she look him in the eye and treat him normally? She pulled the birth document and bracelet out of her tunic, as if the blank signature line would banish the fear and unanswered questions.

Tri-Nah made it back to Coruscant in almost record time, but despite that, by the time she reached the Temple and went through the landing protocol, it was late. She was actually thankful for the late hour, though. Because of it, the Temple would be quiet and hardly a soul would be around.

Tri-Nah exited the ship to find Master Mace Windu waiting for her. She sighed. Not only was he a Council member, but he was Qui-Gon Jinn's friend as well. He had to know the truth, and yet he too had kept it from his friend.

She approached the tall, dark-skinned Jedi and bowed. To her surprise, the man said nothing. He took her bag and headed toward the lift, punching in a destination that was definitely not the quarters that she shared with Lee-Stra. It was a silent ride, and Tri-Nah had to bite her tongue several times to prevent herself from asking Master Windu where he was taking her. When the lift finally came to a halt and the doors slid open, she glanced up at the bald Jedi Master, unsure of what to say to him.

"The Council granted your request for temporary quarters," he said calmly, answering her unasked question. "You have a week, Padawan Wynne. Then your decision will be made. Your unique situation has garnered you these extras. Use your time well," Windu said sagely. He deposited her bag in the small room and then quietly left.

When Mace Windu was gone, Tri-Nah tapped into the Temple's central computer from the access port in the wall.

"Location of Jinn, Qui-Gon, Jedi Master," she requested.

A computer-generated voice answered, "Master Qui-Gon Jinn has been dispatched to Zinomn."

"Great," Tri-Nah muttered, sighing despondently. "That would mean that Obi-Wan Kenobi is gone too," she added.

"Padawan Learner Obi-Wan Kenobi is on temporary initiate training duty," the tinny voice answered.

Tri-Nah jumped a little in surprise. She had not realized that she had spoken Obi-Wan's name aloud, but was now glad that she had. Obi-Wan was in the Temple and Qui-Gon was off planet. "Thank you," she said to the computer. "Switch off." The screen faded to black as Tri-Nah left the quarters.

Moments later, she was outside of Kenobi's quarters, overriding the lock, "I am getting too good at this," she told herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as the door swished open, Obi-Wan was awake and on alert.

Relief swept over him as Tri-Nah plopped down on the side of his bed. His relief was quickly replaced by mild embarrassment, and he self-consciously pulled his blanket closer. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I needed to talk," Tri-Nah replied as if that was all the explanation the young man needed. She had not even glanced at him since entering the room.

"Qui-Gon could have been here, you know," Obi-Wan said, trying not to sound accusatory.

The mention of Qui-Gon's name caused a mental flinch in Tri-Nah so intense that even Obi-Wan could feel it. Panic rose up in his throat. Had something happen to his Master?

"He's on Zinomn," she stated flatly.

"Now, how did you know that? I thought you and Lee-Stra were..."

Tri-Nah did not let him finish. "Obi-Wan, I have news," she blurted out desperately, finally turning to look at him. Immediately, she wished she had not. Obi-Wan sat there, in his bed, bare-chested, unshaven, and holding his blanket to himself. She tried to ignore the effect the sight had on her and focused on his face, a face that seemed more mature than it had the last time she had seen him.

The girl tried to rise, but was stopped by a hand on her wrist. With all that had gone on in the last few days, and Obi-Wan's suddenly apparent maturity, she felt like a child -- a child who was running from reality after putting herself in an impossible situation.

"Tri-Nah, what's going on?" he asked gently, releasing her wrist.

"I found out who my parents are," she answered after several minutes of awkward silence.

"So, that's where you've been," Obi-Wan said sympathetically. He knew from experience that meeting one's birth family was an emotionally exhausting exercise.

Tri-Nah looked into the blue eyes. What she was about to say would affect Obi-Wan, but she wasn't sure how he would react to the news.

He waited expectantly, but quietly.

"Lee-Stra Enoch, is my mother," she blurted.

The sandy head jerked back in shock. "Wow," was all he could manage to say. He reached up and squeezed her arm.

The black-headed girl turned away for a long moment, but looked back again as Obi-Wan asked, "What about your father?"

Tri-Nah stared at the stubble-covered dimple in the young man's chin.

"Come on," he prodded. "It can't be that bad, unless of course you're going to tell me it's Master Yoda," he joked, falling back on his sense of humor, something he had discovered was an old ally when it came to getting out of sticky situations with Tri-Nah.

She could not stop the giggle that bubbled up, as she wondered what physical traits she might have inherited from the quirky old Jedi Master. "I think that might be easier to tell you," she finally said, biting her lip nervously.

He lifted her chin and asked, "What do you mean?"

Tri-Nah wished his hand would stay there, but he dropped it back to his lap. "Obi-Wan, my...my father...my father is...Blast! Why is this so hard?" she cried in frustration.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened. Tri-Nah Wynne rarely used expletives, even ones this mild. "Just say it, Wynsome," he said, using an old nickname that she hadn't heard in a very long time. Obi-Wan had begun using it when she had been about twelve and he had discovered how charming Tri-Nah was. He had been so proud of his wordplay on her name that he had used it to taunt her. Now, however, the nickname seemed much more intimate.

She looked curiously up at his slightly upturned lips. He *had* matured, but was it enough for this? "It's... he's..." she stuttered. Finally, she whispered the name, "Qui-Gon Jinn." There. She had said it. Now it was official. Obi-Wan, her father's apprentice, knew.

There was a moment of thick silence. "You have got to be joking," Obi-Wan finally croaked.

Tri-Nah pulled the bracelet and certificate from her tunic and thrust them at him.

He toyed with the tiny bracelet. It fit around his first two fingers, but only down to his knuckles. "You used to be that small?" he questioned.

"So were you, now read it," she ordered, smiling at the wonder in his eyes. Here he was, faced with big news, and he was playing with a bracelet.

Obi-Wan grinned at her, hoping the distraction had worked. His mind was a whirl with questions and emotions as he read the words on the bracelet and the document in his hands. His sandy eyebrows raised, "Does he know?"

"I don't think so," Tri-Nah replied. She turned to sit next to him and pointed at the blank signature line. "He didn't sign it."

Obi-Wan set the paper down on her leg and cocked his head to look at her.

"I don't know how I can tell him," Tri-Nah said desperately. "I almost couldn't tell you." Obi-Wan didn't reply and, she apprehensively wondered at his lack of response.

"It is quite shocking," Obi-Wan admitted slowly. "But you have the appropriate proof." He slipped an arm around her waist. "I'm still not sure I fully understand it all. Although, it does clear up a few things."

"Like?" Tri-Nah asked. She had half expected him to deny what he read._ *He could have at least acted a bit more shocked,*_ she thought.

"The way Lee-Stra and Qui-Gon act around each other. Your natural connection with him. The two of you seem to work on some weird wave length sometimes..."

"A thing you have been jealous of," Tri-Nah accused with a tiny push to his side. However, she did not push very hard. She was too afraid that he would let go of her if she did, and she was enjoying his arm around her.

"Okay, I'm big enough to admit that," he stated with the alarming maturity that Tri-Nah was suddenly conscious of. She wondered how long that maturity had been there, and why she had never noticed it before. "I thought it was just because you were both so in tune with the Living side of the Force, but now I see it was more than that."

Tri-Nah tried to fight back a yawn. She was exhausted and could not remember the last time she had slept.

Obi-Wan reached up and eased her head down onto his bare shoulder leaning back against the headboard at the same time. "What are you going to do?" he asked her softly.

Her left shoulder rose and fell tiredly. "I'm not sure. Tell him, I guess. He should know."

"Well, you have a few days. He isn't supposed to be back for a day or two," Obi-Wan said quietly. He could sense that Tri-Nah was about to drift off to sleep, and it made him smile. It was a bit like a replay of their time in the cave on Inlian, only this time, they were in no danger. Well, they were kind of in danger. If anyone were to catch them alone in his quarters with both of their Masters off planet, it could become a major problem. He shoved the thought out of his mind as he kissed the top of the black head resting on his shoulder. They had done nothing but talk, and had no reason to feel guilty. "Just remember I'm here for you, no matter what," he murmured, feeling her relax.

Tri-Nah's lips curled at the corners and she snuggled up closer to him.

He brushed a kiss to her forehead and whispered, "I love you."

Tri-Nah's black head popped up, almost hitting Obi-Wan's dimpled chin. "What did you say?" she gasped, not sure if she'd really heard him right, or if she had just imagined his unexpected declaration.

Obi-Wan put a finger to her lips and replied, "Go to sleep, Tri-Nah." Then, he gently pushed her head back down to his chest.

Too tired to ask again or to think about what she thought he had said, Tri-Nah let him push her back down. With a small knowing smile she drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tri-Nah jumped at the sound of the alarm clock, crashing into Obi-Wan's chin as she did so.

"Blast!" Obi-Wan exclaimed as he reluctantly pulled his arm out from under Tri-Nah's back. "I have a class to teach this morning," he grumbled, rubbing his chin lightly.

Tri-Nah, who had calmed her racing heart after being so rudely awakened by an obnoxious alarm clock, was now smiling as Obi-Wan tried, with some semblance of modesty, to get out of bed. She turned her head toward the wall and listened with amusement as he sped to the bathroom.

Obi-Wan emerged a few moments later, dressed in the clothing that he had snagged from the floor, searching for some cleaner clothing than what he was currently wearing. He went from his drawer, to his closet, to a pile of clothing on the floor. He plucked a not overly wrinkled tunic from the pile and headed for the bathroom.

Tri-Nah could not hold back a laugh as she said, "When the Master's away... You really should get that laundry done before he returns you know." She looked significantly around the messy room. "All that cleanliness training down the drain..." she sighed in mock resignation.

"Very funny," Obi-Wan threw over his shoulder before disappearing behind the door.

While Obi-Wan showered, Tri-Nah tried to scrounge up some food. Her stomach was growling, and she hadn't eaten in quite some time.

By the time Tri-Nah had plates on the table, Obi-Wan was finished and came out of the bathroom running a towel over his hair.

Tri-Nah smiled at him wickedly and said, "So, that's how you achieve that look?"

Obi-Wan rolled his blue eyes up toward the ceiling and in a mocking tone replied, "So, that's where that sense of humor came from. I always thought it was familiar."

They both laughed as they sat down to the breakfast that Tri-Nah had prepared.

As they ate, Obi-Wan's thoughts went back to their current situation, and how it would look if they were to be caught together. "We have a problem," Obi-Wan suddenly said, "You shouldn't be here, and this is the busiest residence hall in the mornings. It's not going to be easy getting you out of here without being seen."

Tri-Nah, unfortunately, knew this to be true. She had lived at the other end of the hall for the last ten years. *Down the hall from my father and in the same room as my mother,* she thought almost bitterly. She shoved the thought to the back of her mind. Right now she should be worried about getting out of Obi-Wan's quarters without anyone knowing she was there. Too many assumptions would be made if they blatantly walked out this early in the morning. "Traffic slows down in a couple of hours. I'll try to sneak out then," she said slowly, mulling over the possibilities.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "It'll be tough. If anyone sees you..." he left the sentence hanging.

Tri-Nah knew he was thinking the same thing that she was.

"I don't want your reputation..." Obi-Wan began.

"Nor do I," Tri-Nah interrupted. "But, if I do get caught, it will be my own fault. I'll make it," she added determinedly, touched by Obi-Wan's concern for her. She smiled at him, marveling over how wonderful it felt to be so suddenly at ease with her long-time friend and foe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan left to teach his class and had been gone for only a few minutes when a yawn escaped Tri-Nah's lips. She had nothing to do, she was tired, and now she would have to wait for at least an hour or two before attempting to slip from the room unnoticed. What little sleep she had gotten in Obi-Wan's arms had not been enough. She smiled at the memory. Had he really kissed her on the head?

Tri-Nah lay down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Another smile played across her lips. She was sleeping in Obi-Wan's bed. *What would people think?* she wondered. *The totally wrong thing, that's what.* Tri-Nah's body relaxed as she played out a number of different scenarios in her mind. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, dreaming a dream that felt awfully familiar to her. In her dream, Obi-Wan kissed her and said, "I love you." But was it really a dream--some deep desire that only her subconscious mind would dare admit to--or had it really happened?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Qui-Gon Jinn stepped into the residence hall with a sigh. He was glad to be home. He practically ached with fatigue, and was weary from the assignment that he had just finished. Why the Council had seen fit for him to go alone was still something he had not been able to fathom. He rarely went anywhere without Obi-Wan anymore and he had sorely missed the young man. He could have used another point of view on the trade pact, and he would have enjoyed hearing one of Obi-Wan's amusing descriptions of the obstinate people he had been dealing with.

Then, in spite of the ordeal he'd had to put up with on the mission, he had also gotten an incomprehensible message from Lee-Stra Enoch on his way back to the Temple. It seemed the Force was truly trying him. Lee-Stra's message had been rushed and Lee had seemed quite frantic. It was not even a clear transmission and he had lost some of her words to static.

"Qui-Gon," the faltering holo-image of his friend had said. "You have to hurry...don't be...you...a daughter...pregnant...time...knows...on my way. Plea...very upset...be careful what...say."

Even if he had not already been tired, it would have made little sense. There was no telling how many words were missing or whom she was speaking about. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and shoved the thoughts away. All he wanted was a hot shower and some sleep. He'd try to figure out the message later. Maybe he could recover the remaining portions after he had gotten some rest. Reaching the quarters that he shared with Obi-Wan, he tiredly tapped in the code.

As soon as he stepped into the room, he knew someone was there, and he knew it wasn't Obi-Wan.

Tri-Nah's violet eyes flashed open as soon as the door swished open. Her heart was racing. Obi-Wan was not due back for several hours, which meant that she had been caught. Alarm raced through her veins. Tri-Nah sat up, instinctively pulling the covers up around her neck even though she was fully clothed. Her eyes met with those of the last person she wanted to see at the moment.

Qui-Gon's brow furrowed. *What the... oh, Obi-Wan, you didn't!* he silently moaned.

Noting the nearly horrified look on the man's face Tri-Nah quickly said, "It's not what you think!"

"Oh?" he asked impassively. "What else am I supposed to think, Tri-Nah? I come home to find you in Obi-Wan's bed and Obi-Wan nowhere to be seen. Tell me what I..."

"Mas... Qui...sir, I..." Tri-Nah blubbered, at a loss as to what to call the man. Instead of words she decided to use action. She started to get out of the bed.

Qui-Gon immediately turned his back as she began to rise.

"No, don't turn around, look," she demanded.

Qui-Gon slowly turned, ready to spin back around if the need arose. His blue eyes widened upon seeing the girl standing there, arms outstretched, but fully clothed. "Okay, so maybe it isn't what I thought," he admitted. "What are you doing here, Tri-Nah?"

"I needed to talk," she answered.

"Does Lee know you're here?" he questioned.

"No," Tri-Nah said, shaking her head slightly. "She's on Balastraad."

A million worst-case scenarios went through Qui-Gon's mind in the few seconds following Tri-Nah's words. He knew that Balastraad was Lee-Stra's home world, but he did not know that the Council had sent her and Tri-Nah there. The garbled message returned to his weary mind. "Is something wrong?" he asked his concern evident in his voice.

"Not exactly," Tri-Nah hedged.

"Maybe you should sit down and explain," he suggested, inexplicably relieved that Lee-Stra and her family were well.

"I'd rather stand, thank you," Tri-Nah replied daintily.

Qui-Gon indicated that she go on.

Tri-Nah swallowed. How was she going to do this? "I left her there," she finally admitted.

"What?" Qui-Gon gasped, unable to keep the shock from his eyes. Of all the things he was expecting, this was not one of them. "Why?" He had never known Tri-Nah to do anything so rash. Between Tri-Nah being cryptic and making little sense and Lee-Stra's message, Qui-Gon was getting confused and frustrated. What was wrong with the girl? She was acting rather strangely. "Maybe you should start at the beginning." *You...a daughter...pregnant...* He didn't quite know what to make of it.

Uneasily, Tri-Nah wondered exactly what beginning he meant. Her beginning? The beginning of the assignment? The beginning of... Abruptly, she pushed her wandering thoughts aside and finally replied, "We, I mean, I..." her voice trailed off. She closed her eyes a moment to concentrate and to find at least a tiny sliver of control. "I wanted to know about my family so..." she hesitated, not knowing what she should call her Master/mother, "Lee-Stra, took me to Balastraad."

Qui-Gon nodded his greying head. He knew that, not only was Lee-Stra from Balastraad, but that Tri-Nah had been found there also. *You...a daughter...pregnant...* Again, Lee-Stra's puzzling words passed through his mind.

"We stayed with her family and..." Tri-Nah hesitated again, unsure if she could go on. She looked over at her tunic, hanging over the back of a chair, where her birth certificate and bracelet were concealed. "She told me I had to find out on my own who my parents are. I found a picture of a baby and some documents," she stalled.

He thought again of Lee-Stra's message, and an unsettling feeling washed over him. He could feel the Force nagging at him, as if he should already know this. A faint realization started to form in his mind, and he had to force himself to keep his calm. If Tri-Nah was trying to say what he thought she was trying to say, then his life had just taken a major turn. "Did you find them?" he asked, struggling to keep his countenance calm.

"Sort of," Tri-Nah faltered, clutching her hands together and looking chagrined.

Qui-Gon's eyes widened as he watched Tri-Nah fidget. _*Stars above, she looks so much like Lee-Stra did at that age,*_ he thought to himself, feeling his chest constrict painfully. Why hadn't he ever seen that before? Maybe he hadn't wanted to, or hadn't been ready to. Maybe the time just wasn't right. However, standing there now, seeing Tri-Nah almost as if for the first time, there was no doubt in his mind that she was Lee-Stra's child, and if she were Lee-Stra's daughter, then he was pretty sure he knew who her father was. Things began to rapidly fall into place in Qui-Gon's mind. This must have been what Lee-Stra's message was about. _*Had Lee been trying to tell me not to be upset?*_ he asked himself.

*Just say it.* Tri-Nah chided herself. "I do know who they are. I um..." She turned toward the tunic. "Maybe you should see this," she finally said. It was not how she wanted him to find out, but she could not get the words past her dry throat. In much the same way as she had shoved the paper at Obi-Wan she now thrust it out in front of her.

Qui-Gon took a step toward her and reached for the paper, already suspecting what it said. The door chime pinged, interrupting him.

Tri-Nah gasped and her head jerked toward the door.

Qui-Gon moved to answer. Lee-Stra Enoch stood on the other side of the door. Qui-Gon was unsure what to say or do. Lee-Stra looked quite frightened and wouldn't look him in the eye. He started to reach out.

"Are you okay?" Lee-Stra asked her Padawan, as she stepped into the room and around Qui-Gon as if he were not even standing there.

"Yes...ma'am," Tri-Nah answered. She desperately wanted to bolt from the room and let Lee-Stra handle the telling. But, there was no way that she could, since Qui-Gon was still standing in front of the door.

Qui-Gon stepped forward and placed a hand on Lee-Stra's shoulder. Standing there next to Lee-Stra and Tri-Nah, he felt oddly complete. If Obi-Wan had been there, he would have felt that all he ever needed was in that room with him. "We've been sorting through a few things," Qui-Gon said to Lee-Stra.

Lee-Stra was confused. She turned to face him. "Sorting through what things?

"Well," Qui-Gon began. "I came home and found Tri-Nah in Obi-Wan's bed..."

"What?" Lee-Stra nearly shouted the question. "Tri-Nah, no..." she gasped.

"Nothing happened, Lee. Although I must confess that I too...never mind," Qui-Gon shook his head. He could tell that Tri-Nah might pass out soon if she did not say what she had on her mind. "Why don't we let Tri-Nah finish," he suggested.

Lee-Stra nodded, not really knowing what she was agreeing to.

Tri-Nah took a deep breath. "My parents are..."

The door opened, interrupting her. Obi-Wan walked in and nearly gasped aloud when he saw everyone standing in the room. He reached out with the Force to ascertain everyone's state of mind, and felt confusion from Lee-Stra, uncertainty from his Master, and anxiety from Tri-Nah. Obi-Wan stepped over to Tri-Nah's side, sensing that she needed some support.

Qui-Gon smiled at his Padawan, wondering how much the young man already knew, and then turned back to face Tri-Nah. "As you were saying," he prodded.

Tri-Nah looked down at the paper and then back up at Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra. She took another deep breath and plunged ahead. "While on Balastraad, I found out that Lee-Stra Enoch and Qui-Gon Jinn are my parents," she blurted in one big rush, holding up the document.

There was a short pause, and then Qui-Gon finally spoke. "A daughter," he stated quietly. His instincts had been right. He wasn't quite sure how he felt over the whole situation. He didn't know if he was ready to be a father, or if he ever would be ready. But then, Lee-Stra probably hadn't been ready to be a mother when she'd given birth to Tri-Nah, and she hadn't had much of a choice in that situation. A brief moment of guilt washed over Qui-Gon, but he quickly suppressed it. What was done was done, and feeling guilty for not being there would not change the past.

A single tear slid down Tri-Nah's cheek. Obi-Wan saw it and grasped Tri-Nah's hand. He was still having a hard time grasping the concept that the two people he loved most were suddenly related, and wasn't sure how his Master was taking it.

Qui-Gon turned to Lee-Stra. "Why did you never tell me?" he asked.

Lee-Stra tried to judge Qui-Gon's mood and discovered, with relief, that his question was not accusing. She tried to think of the best way to answer him, but Qui-Gon spoke before she could begin.

"It's all right," he said quietly, holding up a hand to stop her protest. "I think I know. You didn't have to go through this alone, though Lee. I would have been there for you."

Lee-Stra smiled, her lips quivering as she tried to stop herself from bursting into tears of relief. Such a reaction would not be befitting a Jedi. Qui-Gon didn't hate her, and if he wasn't angry with her, she didn't think he was capable of being angry with Tri-Nah either. Now if only Tri-Nah would forgive her, her conscience could rest.

Qui-Gon turned his attention back to Tri-Nah. "I had begun to suspect the truth, even before you told me," he admitted. "I'm sorry, Tri-Nah. I should have told you. Your mother," he turned to look at Lee-Stra with an encouraging smile, "Sent me a message. It was a bit garbled, but when you began telling me where you had been..." he paused, unsure how to go on. "I put two and two together. But I didn't want to voice my suspicions until I'd heard what you had to say. I shouldn't have..." he stopped again and moved closer to Tri-Nah, taking the girl's chin in his large hand, and brushed away the tear with his thumb. "A daughter?" he said in wonder. He lifted his other hand and drew the girl closer. He suddenly felt as if he had no idea how to treat her, how or if he should touch her, or what to say to her.

Tri-Nah's eyes had begun filling uncontrollably with tears as Qui-Gon apologized, and another one of those unshed tears slid down her cheek as he touched her. She too had no idea how to behave. Part of her wanted to run from the room, and part of her wanted to weep in his arms. She buried her face in his tunic when he pulled her into a hug. Tri-Nah could hear the rapid beat of his heart, and felt a sense of peace wash over them all as acceptance crept into each mind and heart.

After releasing Tri-Nah, Qui-Gon turned toward his daughter's mother, pulling Lee-Stra to him and into a kiss. He did not care anymore who knew or saw. All he cared about was how right it felt to have Lee-Stra in his arms as he kissed her deeply. "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely.

Lee-Stra nearly melted as he kissed her. "Thank you for what?" she asked breathlessly, caring just as little as he did over what the gossips would say.

"For my daughter. For trying to protect me. For loving me enough to keep me from doing something I would have regretted later," he said, touching her face. He knew as well as she did that if he had known all those years ago, he would have left the Order.

Obi-Wan watched the scene with a smile. He had been right, Qui-Gon and Lee-Stra were still in love, and would now get over the past, to create a future. He pulled Tri-Nah from the room, giving the two older Jedi the privacy that they needed.

Tri-Nah followed him with a smile lighting her face. She had a mother and a father who would love her and be there for her. The adjustment might be difficult, but for the moment, she was satisfied.

Qui-Gon smiled, holding Lee-Stra close, as the two Padawans left them alone. He had a daughter--a daughter that he already knew and loved. And he had little doubt that in the future, he would grow to love his daughter in a way he never thought possible. Things would be uncertain at first, but they would survive and be all the richer for it.

The End :)

Feedback note: Please, if you would like more, let me know. I have a few scenarios working. Possible sequels will depend on feedback. :)

   [1]: mailto:catcey@yahoo.com



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